


Sovereignty

by RelentlassHuggerSquad



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2019-10-24 14:43:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17706230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RelentlassHuggerSquad/pseuds/RelentlassHuggerSquad
Summary: Charlotte Flair is out to make an impact by forming a female-version of Evolution called Sovereignty. She drafts Natalya, Rhea Ripley, and Toni Storm to help her form the hottest stable in women's wrestling. Can this powerful group hold it together inside and outside of the ring, or will their rise to the top of the WWE be short-lived?On hiatus as of 9/4/19.





	1. A new stable

Charlotte Flair had never been good at being idle, it just wasn’t in her nature to be still. Even if she wasn’t on the card, she wanted to be doing something. That was why she was running around backstage at the Elimination Chamber pay per view trying to assist her co-workers with what they needed. She wasn’t on the card but she wanted to be supportive, she had already assisted her friends Bayley and Sasha with running through some different spots for their match backstage. 

The statuesque blonde was making her way to catering when a familiar face looked in front of her. A slow smile crossed her features as she took in the sight of Triple H. 

“Hey, Hunter how goes it?” Charlotte asked, stepping out of his way so that he could pass by.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you, I have a big idea for you. I’m busy right now but I’ll need to talk to you after the show, I am needed in the ring.” Triple H gave her elbow a light squeeze in way of greeting, before heading on his way. 

Charlotte stared after him and shrugged. “Okay, I guess I’ll be seeing you then.” 

There was never a moment where Charlotte didn’t want to be involved somehow in the show, but she knew that moments would come and go. As long as the women were being featured and Charlotte felt useful she was happy. It didn’t matter who had the title or the high profile match, as long as the division was being elevated. 

After the show, Charlotte found her way to Triple H’s office. “Hey Hunter, you wanted to see me?” 

Triple H nodded his head, gesturing for her to take a seat in one of the chairs that sat in front of his desk. He was going through some files but quickly pushed them into a haphazard pile. “You aren’t doing much these days, are you?”

Charlotte gave an amused laugh and shrugged. “Not for lack of trying, creative doesn’t know what to do with me right now I guess. Ronda’s got one title, Asuka has the other. Bayley and Sasha just won the tag titles, and I don’t have a tag-partner to even tag with so…” She trailed off. 

Hunter just stared at her, then cracked a smile. “Okay, what would you do to change that?” 

Charlotte straightened up in her seat. “I’d give myself something to do. I always work better when I have people to work off of, and so I’d give myself a stable.” 

“I was thinking of pitching you winning Queen of the Ring, we’re bringing it back. But your idea intrigues me, who would you want in your stable?” Triple H was always willing to listen to ideas and Charlotte normally had a good read on the crowd so he was willing to humor her. 

The idea of bringing a Queen of the Ring back was an interesting one and Charlotte wanted to hear more but she had been thinking of the stable thing for a long time. She and her fellow four horsewomen always talked about who they would want in a group if they formed one, so Hunter’s question was an easy one for Charlotte. 

“I want Rhea Ripley and somebody like Toni Storm in my group. They are definitely the future of the WWE and it would get them up to the main roster. I could help ease that transition too.” Charlotte said proudly. 

Hunter considered her suggestion, clearly thinking out the business aspects of everything. “So you’d be the veteran to mold and shape them. They could learn a lot from you, you’d have your own legacy just like your dad.” He didn’t sound entirely convinced though. 

“Well, my dad was part of a lot of great stables, The Four Horsemen, Evolution-” 

“That’s it!” Triple H interrupted abruptly, completely cutting Charlotte off. “A female version of Evolution, it could work because it has you, so it’d give it credibility. You have Rhea as the Batista type, Toni as the Randy Orton type. You’d probably be me, but you need another veteran.” 

Hunter was already going off on his tangent, leaving Charlotte to just watch as his mind spun. Charlotte wasn’t sure who she could use as another veteran. She focused back on what her boss was saying, not wanting to be rude. 

He was talking about the different veterans on the roster like Mickie, Natalya, and Tamina. The only people Charlotte could thought would fit her idea for the stable was Mickie or Natalya. It would definitely give Natalya something to do as well and could inspire other storylines for the other women as well. 

“I need somebody intimidating for the stable to work I think. “ Charlotte mused, trying to sift through her options.

Hunter nodded his approval. “Intimidating is better. Nattie would be your best bet, she’s decorated and can be intimidating if she needs too..”

“I think before we get Nattie to be a part of this, I should talk to Rhea and Toni thought. Toni is in Orlando doing some work for the NXT there, and I can talk to Rhea when WWE goes and tours in the UK next week. I wanna have something concrete before I try to sell it to Nattie.” Charlotte explained. She didn’t want to count her chickens before they hatched. 

The boss man just laughed and nodded. “Alright, talk to the rookies. See if they want to be apart of your stable. Maybe we can tie that into our plans for you to win Queen of the ring. They could be your Queen’s guard.” 

Charlotte crinkled her nose, not liking the name. “No, I mean maybe when it’s the two of them. But as a whole that that wouldn’t work for a group name.” 

Hunter grunted, trying to think. “Okay, how about Dynasty?”

“No, not a fan of that one either. Can I think about it? Let me talk to the girl and see what we can come up with. We’ll brainstorm and get back to you.” Charlotte suggested, knowing that once she got the dynamics of her group they could come up with a better name. 

“Creative has final say on the names, but let’s see what you can come up with. Talk to your rookies, and we’ll proceed with you winning Queen of the ring. If we get them on board quick enough, then maybe they can interfere in the last couple of deciding matches and you can emerge with your stable at the end of the competition.” Triple H stood up and extended his hand towards her. 

Charlotte rose to her feet and shook his hand. “Thank you for the opportunity, Hunter. I promise not to let you down.” She made her way out of his office, feeling happier now at the prospect. Most of the other superstars had left, so Charlotte grabbed her gear bag and made her way back to her hotel room. 

She wanted to watch some film and do some research on Rhea and Toni. She wanted to see what they were both capable of so that she would know how to bring the best out of them. Charlotte had witnessed what the duo could do against each other but she wanted to see if they were capable of being a good tag-team.

\---

When Charlotte made it to the performance center a few days later, she was looking for Toni in particular. She found Toni who was the current NXT Women’s champion, doing some warm-up drills with Io Shirai and Kacy Catanzaro. Charlotte had been impressed before when Toni had won the Mae Young Classic. 

She had seen first hand Toni win the NXT UK Championship, and then come to the American NXT and defeat Baszler for that title as well, before Shayna had gone up the main roster. That had been four months ago, and Charlotte had a feeling that Toni was looking for a new challenge. 

Charlotte watched with interest and Toni worked with the two other women, trading different moves and combinations. Charlotte was visualizing the New Zealand born woman as part of her stable, trying to see what Toni could bring to the table. 

If Toni could tap into a more arrogant, laid back version of her current character, then Charlotte saw the girl being immensely successful. Slowly Charlotte slid into the ring, startling the three other woman who looked surprised to see her. 

“It’s Toni right?” Charlotte asked though she knew full well that it was Toni.  
Turning to face Charlotte with a warm yet confused smile, Toni nodded. “Yeah, we’ve met before. I’m Toni Storm.” She said extending a hand towards Charlotte. 

Charlotte shook her hand and then tugged the shorter girl closer so that she was staring down at Toni. “I have a theory about you Storm, I wanna see if I am right.” 

Toni who had stumbled forward when Charlotte pulled her, righted herself and stared unflinchingly at the veteran. “What’s your theory?” 

A devious smile worked its way across Charlotte’s expression. “My theory is that with the right person you can put on insane matches. I would like to see what you could do, so right here and right now I want to wrestle you.” 

Toni hesitated but only for a second. “Okay bring it, you might want to warm up first though, I don’t want to hurt you.” Toni had figured this was a test of some kind and it wasn’t one she wanted to fail. 

Io and Kacy who had been watching the confrontation, slid out of the ring to make way. Charlotte made her way to one of the corners and started stretching out a bit. 

“I saw your matches with Ripley and Baszler, I know you can be a good babyface, but I wanna see if you can play a heel,” Charlotte explained, wanting to see what Toni would pull out of her repertoire at such short notice. 

“I can do that,” Toni stated, before advancing on Charlotte. They locked up, grappling for a few minutes. Toni was going to let Charlotte call the moves since the older woman was the veteran. However, Charlotte seemed to have other ideas. 

“Call the moves,” Charlotte demanded, it was important to see what Toni would do under pressure. 

“Swing, two Germans, counter the third.” Toni had actually been wrestling a lot longer than Charlotte had since Toni started at thirteen and had been wrestling for almost a decade. Charlotte might have been on the main roster, but Toni had wrestled all over the world and made a name for herself. 

Charlotte swung with a heavy right hand, but Toni ducked under her arm and wrapped her arms around Charlotte’s waist. She suplexed Charlotte over her head twice and then on the third attempt Charlotte elbowed her in the head as a reversal. Dropping down, Charlotte rolled Toni up trying to pin her, but the Aussie kicked out. 

“Okay, not bad.” Charlotte was actually impressed and motioned for Toni to keep going. They cycled through some different move combinations before Charlotte told Toni to hit her with Storm Zero. 

“Are you sure?” Toni asked, hesitating once more. They had gathered quite the crowd around them watching. 

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Come on kid, now is not the time to hesitate.” She replied, shoving Toni to try and motivate her. 

Toni gritted her teeth and then grabbed a handful of Charlotte’s hair, pulling the taller woman down and hitting her with the Storm Zero and pinning her. 

Charlotte grunted as she hit the match, and found herself staring up into the blazing eyes of Toni Storm who had her pinned. “Not bad, not bad all kid.” She rolled out of the pin and got to her feet, before offering to help Toni up. 

“Did I pass your little test?” Toni asked curiously as she allowed Charlotte to pull her up to her feet. 

“For the most part yes, there is still somethings you need to work on but consider me impressed. Go get showered and meet me outside, there are some things I would like to discuss with you in private.” Charlotte exited the ring, leaving a stunned Toni Storm in her wake. 

Twenty-minutes later a freshly showered and changed Toni Storm found Charlotte waiting for her in the parking lot. “What did you want to discuss?” 

Charlotte who had been texting Hunter on her phone, slide the phone into her pocket and just beamed at Toni. “Your future kid, get in the car,” Charlotte called over her shoulder as she turned and climbed in the rental car. 

Toni was still confused but obeyed and climbed into the car. “What about my future?”

“You won the Mae Young Classic, you have been a champion around the world, in NXT and NXT UK. You’re only twenty-three and you are more decorated than most people could ever hope. That’s why I want you on the main roster, I want you in my stable.” Charlotte explained, before laying out her hopes and dreams, so that Toni could see the picture Charlotte wanted to paint. 

“So Triple H wants a female evolution and you want me to be your Randy Orton?” Toni asked trying to clarify what was being asked of her. “What about my NXT women’s title?”

Charlotte nodded her head. “You are already a cocky little showboat, but it’s time to make that tendency more heelish. I want you to join me on the dark side, Toni. You are going to have to drop the title, but I am going to bring you to the top of the main roster with me. I have a good feeling about this group.” 

Toni closed her eyes, trying to imagine what Charlotte was describing. “Alright count me in.”

Charlotte beamed. “Excellent, now let me tell you the rest of my plan. We’re going to need an old friend of yours to join our group. You think Rhea would be interested?”

“Let’s pay her a visit and find out.” Toni suggested, unable to hide her excitement now. As much as she would miss being the NXT women’s champ, the idea of what Charlotte was offering her was even better.

\---

Charlotte felt like she was floating on air, as she walked around backstage at Smackdown. She had talked with the creative team and Triple H earlier in the day, and gotten the go-ahead for her stable. Toni being called up to the main roster was already approved. Charlotte and Toni had pitched an idea for how to get Toni written off of NXT and able to drop the title along the way. 

 

Charlotte still needed to get things set up with Rhea but since the NXT UK roster would be backstage during Smackdown, it would give her a chance to talk to the woman. She found Rhea sitting in catering talking with Toni, she walked over to the table and sat down. 

“Hello, ladies.” Charlotte greeted with a smile. “What’s the hot gossip?”

Toni returned the smile and nodded to Rhea. “I was telling Rhea here about your plans for us.”

Rhea leaned back in her chair and eyed Charlotte. “Your plan seems really ambitious and maybe a little risky but I like it. No guts, no glory.”

Charlotte chuckled and met Rhea’s gaze. “So are you in?”

“Yeah, you can count me in. So I have heard how Toni’s going to drop her title, but how am I going to drop mine?” Rhea asked casually, wanting to know how creative would get the belt off of her. 

“I am glad you ask, watch tonight’s show and see what Toni and I do. Then tomorrow come to the NXT taping.” Charlotte instructed, giving a small grin. 

“Okay, you got it,” Rhea said, before turning to Toni. “Let’s see what you can do with the spotlight eh?”

Toni’s smile took on a coy edge. “You’ll see, we’re about to steal the whole show.” She promised.

“Alright, I have to go get ready for my match and tell Mickie the finish, so she won’t be confused when you show up Toni.” Charlotte’s first Queen of the Ring match was against Mickie, and that’s where Toni would be making her run in durning the finish.

An hour later when Charlotte was in the ring, working her match with Mickie, she could hear the crowd starting to buzz with excitement. Mickie and Charlotte were leaving it all the ring, going back and forth with their signature moves. The crowd was eating it up, dueling chants for both of the two women were echoing throughout the arena. The crowd all knew something was going to go down, but they didn’t know what. 

Mickie had Charlotte up for a DDT when Toni came running down the ramp. Toni jumped up on the apron distracting Mickie, who sold it as being confused as to why the NXT Women’s champion was there. 

“What are you doing here Toni?” Mickie yelled, releasing Charlotte and storming over to Toni. “Get off the ring apron. Ref get her out of here.”

When the ref went to get Toni off of the ring apron, he turned back just as Charlotte kicked Mickie in the back of the head and then rolled Mickie up for a quick 1-2-3 victory. 

Mickie was livid at the loss and went after Charlotte, but Toni slid into the ring and attacked Mickie from behind. Charlotte joined in and the duo quickly beat the veteran down, putting the boots to her.

“Hold her up,” Charlotte demanded, waiting until Toni picked up Mickie. “Bow down to the Queen,” Charlotte yelled before spearing Mickie back to the mat. 

Toni then picked Mickie up again, hitting her with a Storm Zero. Charlotte then grabbed Toni’s wrist, holding up her hand as the crowd began to boo them. 

Charlotte smirked, letting the boos soak over her and Toni. The best part of being a superstar was the reaction and Charlotte was pleased with the one they were getting. She could see the cocky smile on Toni’s face as the girl cemented her heel turn by laughing at the beaten down Mickie. 

When they finally got backstage, Rhea was waiting for them with a big smile. “That was pretty cool, I have to admit. The crowd was booing you out of the building.” 

“It was wicked, I wanna go back out there just to see what they would do,” Toni said laughing. 

Charlotte laughed softly. “Just wait until they boo you tomorrow at NXT. Go get some rest you two because tomorrow we get to work. It’s time to for your main roster call-ups.” 

\---

The following day at the NXT taping, Toni sat in her locker room, staring at the NXT women’s title. She had worked so hard to become champion, she was the first woman to be NXT and NXT UK’s title holder. Toni felt like she had accomplished a lot but she wanted more, she wanted the glory and fame Charlotte was promising her. Toni knew she was young, but she wanted to make a huge impact, and though it was bittersweet she was ready to give up the title. 

“You okay kid?” Charlotte asked as she made the way into the locker room, flanked by Rhea. The two of them had been going over things with the NXT creative team as well as with Bianca Belair who Toni would be in the match with later for the title. 

Toni forced a smile. “Yeah, I am fine. I am just worried I am not ready for this.” She explained, running her fingers along her nameplate on the belt. 

Charlotte placed a hand on Toni’s shoulder, giving it a little squeeze of reassurance. “You’re going to be fine. You’re more ready than I was when I got called up to the main roster. Paige helped me though and I am going to help you.” Charlotte promised, hoping that in time both Toni and Rhea would learn that they could depend on her. 

Rhea cleared her throat, nudging Toni’s ankle with her foot. “We tore the house down in the UK, it’s time to take it global T. We’re going to kill it.” Rhea said, trying to reassure her friend. “Now, go out there and lose the title.” 

 

Toni laughed and rose to her feet. “I’ll see you out there Rhea.” 

Charlotte walked with Toni to the curtain and stopped her for a second. “I want you to go out there and wrestle your heart out. I’ll be with you every step of the way, trust me I’ve got your back.” 

Toni nodded, giving Charlotte a grateful smile. “Has creative given a name for our stable yet.” 

“Not yet, they want to call us Dynasty but I don’t think it’s a good name,” Charlotte explained, crinkling her nose. 

Toni grimaced and rolled her eyes. “That’s not a good name for our group. You’re the Queen, but Rhea and I are like our own little sovereign states in alliance with you. They aren’t going to make us bow to you, are they?” 

Charlotte laughed trying to imagine creative forcing Toni and Rhea to bow to her. “No, I think they’ll respect your sovereignty.”

“I like that word, sovereignty. We should call our group that, Sovereignty means supreme power or authority and that’s what we’d be to the women’s division.” Toni pointed out, before her music hit. 

Charlotte looked impressed by Toni’s little sales pitch. “I like it too, I’ll talk to Hunter about it. But first, let’s focus on this.” 

Toni made her way to the ring, Charlotte trailing a few feet behind her. The match with Bianca wasn’t supposed to last all that long, but it had to be impressive. Toni was embracing her heelish side, while Charlotte watched shouting encouragements.

It was only when Toni went Storm Zero, that Bianca Belair reversed it into her own finishing move and pinned Toni for a quick win. Bianca was handed the NXT Women’s championship, but Toni didn’t give her time to celebrate. 

Toni began beating up the new champion, with Charlotte shouting instructions at her. Charlotte threw a steel chair into the ring, wanting Toni to hit the Storm Zero onto the steel chair. Toni sized Bianca up and was about to hit the move when Rhea Ripley’s music hit. 

Rhea ran to the ring, sliding into it and getting nose to nose with Toni. Rhea pointed at Bianca, making a show of asking Toni what she was doing. The taller blonde shoved Toni, forcing her out of the ring. 

Kneeling down, Rhea checked on Bianca, helping the new champion to her feet. “Are you okay?”

Bianca nodded slowly, turning to glare at Toni and Charlotte who had started to back up the ramp. “Yeah, I am fine.” She mumbled, turning her back on Rhea. 

Rhea waited only for a second before she grabbed Bianca and hit the Riptide onto the steel chair. Laughing, the Australian native rolled out of the ring and joined Charlotte and Toni on the entrance ramp. 

Charlotte looked pleased with her protege’s work and raised both Rhea and Toni’s hands in there air. “This is the future right here” Charlotte called before letting out a ‘Wooooo’.

The trio walked backstage and Charlotte just beamed at them. “That was really good you two. I think this is going to work.” Charlotte gave them both a hug, before stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets. 

“I have to go film my segment for the UK show. I am just cutting a promo, but I’ll catch up with you ladies after?” Rhea asked, her gaze searching. 

“Of course, maybe we could have a girl’s night in my hotel room. I mean if we’re going to be a group, I’d like to get to know you better.” Charlotte said, exciting to be part of a group again. Being part of team PCB with Paige and Becky had been some of the best times of her life. 

“Yeah, I am down, we’ll see you after your segment at the hotel Rhea,” Toni said giving her friend a hug. “Give your title a hug for me, I’m going to miss it too.” Toni teased, winking at Rhea, before walking away with Charlotte. 

Rhea watched them go before heading to the locker room to grab her NXT UK Women's title. She wasn’t as attached to it as Toni had been to her title, but Rhea still cared about it even if she had to act like she didn’t. NXT UK had meant a lot to her, it had been a place for her to grow and expand her abilities, but it was time to move on.

She waited until one of the producers gave her the cue to start talking before she actually looked in the camera. 

“I’ve waited years to be a champion, I’ve defended this belt to the best of my abilities and you know what it got me? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Everybody is wondering why I would join Charlotte Flair and Toni Storm? I’ll tell you why right now, they are the future. They have the right mindset, you’re either with them or against them. Charlotte is one of the most decorated stars of the modern era, Toni Storm has wrestled all around the world. I’d rather be with them, then on some pathetic brand like NXT UK. This title? It’s meaningless in comparison to what I can achieve with Charlotte and Toni. The title just like this brand is trash. The women in this division are pathetic, I need some real competition.” 

Rhea held up the belt showing it off to the camera, before throwing the belt in the nearby trash can. Rhea snorted in disgust and walked off until the camera stopped rolling. Once the cameras were done she retrieved the belt and wiped it off. 

“Take good care of it,” Rhea mumbled, handing it over to one of the backstage producers. She didn’t know what the future would look like for her, Toni and Charlotte but she was excited to find out.


	2. A (heel) turn of the Hart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sovereignty bonds a little bit and the fourth and final member is added to the group.

Sometimes the hotels that the WWE stars stayed in during the week, but Charlotte found herself not mind the cramped quarters as much because it allowed her time to bond with and get to know her new rookies. It seemed like they were both a bit reserved so Charlotte was doing her best to figure out how to draw them out of their shells. 

It had taken the older woman sometimes but Charlotte had called in a favor having special hot chocolate and some other goodies delivered to their room. Being a professional athlete normally meant having insane diets, but Charlotte figured a couple cups of hot chocolate and a few cookies wouldn't hurt. Besides in her opinion, they were celebrating the formation of their group so it was worth it. 

"I got us some cookies and hot chocolate," Charlotte announced as she carried the tray of goodies to her bed. There were just two twin beds, but they had convinced the staff to loan them an extra roll out bed so that they could each have their own bed. 

Toni shared a look with Rhea, before shrugging and making her way over. "I never turn down hot chocolate." She mused, giving a small smile. "Thank you for this." 

Rhea followed Toni's lead and snagged a cookie. "Yeah, thank you. You didn't have to do this." 

"I know I didn't have to, but we're a team now. I want us to bond, I want you two to feel comfortable coming to me with problems in and outside of the ring. You can trust me." Charlotte promised, giving them a warm little smile. 

Rhea munched quietly on the cookie, watching Charlotte and sizing her up a bit to see if she could trust her. "How come you wanted to start a stable and why did you pick us out of all the rookies?" Rhea asked, cutting straight to the chase. She wanted to know what Charlotte wanted from her. 

Charlotte admired the bluntness and merely smiled. "I know what it's like to be tossed up on the main roster, you either sink or swim in a lot of ways. I also know that you both are insanely talented and I want to see you do well. Maybe my motivations are a little selfish, I have nothing to do and I want to leave behind a legacy. I want to be able to say that I made a difference." Charlotte shrugged, looking them straight in the eyes. 

Toni grabbed a cookie for herself, she was still weighing whether or not to let Charlotte in. Toni was very much a reserved person, but she respected Charlotte a lot. "So you picked us because we're talented? The whole locker room is talented." She pointed out. 

"True you have to be pretty talented to have made it on the indies and then in the NXT locker room. I picked you both because you're young and you can make a crazy impact on the locker room for years to come. I know you can take the revolution and what the women have been fighting for, and carry the baton further. I hand-selected you both because I firmly believe you are the future, and I'd stake my career, my reputation, and my own future on it." Charlotte replied, knowing deep down she wanted them both to succeed. 

There was silence for a moment, the weight of the veteran's words settling on them before Rhea started laughing. "You give one heck of a speech Flair, but I buy into it. I am all in for this stable." The taller Aussie announced. 

“So tell us about you Charlotte, you want to get to know us, but we want to get to know you.” Toni was endlessly fascinated by the tales of being on the main roster, and she was a bit nervous about the call-up. Toni wanted to be more than just good, she wanted to be great. Being inside the ring was the only time she didn’t feel so shy and withdrawn. 

Charlotte drew her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. “What would you like to know exactly.” 

“Are you dating anybody on the main roster?” Rhea asked curiously. 

“No, I don’t think I could. I see a lot of them like family and relationships are complicated and hard to maintain.” Charlotte explained, before tilting her head. “Why did you two want to become wrestlers?” 

Toni lit up at the question, a wide smile crossing her face. “I always wanted to wrestle. It was hard to find something to keep my interest but wrestling did. It was hard because my mom was a single mom, but she made it work and I started at thirteen.” 

Rhea hesitated for a moment, mulling over her own answer. “Wrestling always seemed like the one thing I wanted most. I was good at karate, soccer, netball, but nothing was on par with my love of wrestling. I love watching people tell a story and cut promos, like the Miz. He was a huge factor in me wanting to be a star, and so I fought for my dream.” 

Listening to their various reasons for wanting to be in the business, Charlotte slowly nodded her approval. “The hunger you two have for the business makes me glad I picked you. A healthy respect for the business and the people who paved the way and helped you get there is vital. This business is built on respect.” Charlotte said, reciting the words her father had told her before she joined the WWE. 

“You probably already know this, but I joined the WWE because of my brother Reid. He said we’d be doing this together and so I wrestle in honor of him. I am living out his dream.” Charlotte ran a hand through her hair, thinking of Reid was always bittersweet.   
Toni placed a hand comfortingly on Charlotte’s shoulder but didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure there was anything to say. 

Rhea didn’t do well with long and awkward pauses, so she decided to switch gears a bit. “Do you prefer to be called Charlotte or by your real name Ashley?” 

Charlotte cracked a smile. “You can just call me Charlotte or do what Becky does and call me Charlie.” 

“My name actually is Toni.” Toni mused, glad she hadn’t had to change her name. 

Rhea laughed and flopped back on Charlotte’s bed. “Mine is Demi, you can call me either. It doesn’t bother me.” Rhea explained, staring up at the ceiling plaster. “Do you miss traveling with Becky and your other friends.”

Charlotte gave a soft hum, contemplating her answer before she gave it. “I miss traveling with Becky, but that’s only because she’s my best friend. I am excited to travel with you two though and when we add the fourth member of our stable it’ll be even better.” 

Charlotte had texted Nattie a couple times, trying to convince the Canadian to join their group. Nattie had insisted that she would have to think about it and talk it over with her husband TJ. Still, there were not many people Charlotte trusted to help her lead a stable like this, however, Nattie was a great ring general and somebody Charlotte knew could handle the task. 

“Has Nattie agreed to join us yet?” Rhea asked, unable to hide her excitement. She really admired Nattie in particular because Nattie wasn’t small either and had a bit of a bulkier build like Rhea. 

Toni was also excited to possibly work with Natalya. “Having her along for the ride would be fun, she’s always so willing to work and train people.” 

“Nattie actually helped train me as well. She’s such a sweetheart.” Charlotte mused Nattie was one of the people that Charlotte looked up too most. 

“So we’ll have an American, a Canadian, and two Aussies. Our group is going to be awesome.” Rhea pointed out, proud of what they were going to be representing. 

“Actually I am technically from New Zealand but I did grow up in Australia. So maybe I am a bit of both.” Toni shrugged, she was proud of both heritages. Toni was proud of the fact that she had actually succeeded in wrestling all over the world. She was excited to have even more credibility by being in a stable with people like Rhea, Charlotte, and Nattie. 

Charlotte considered the duo before smiling softly. “I am glad I have you two in the group, I’ll keep working on Nattie. I think our first step as a stable will be helping me beat the rest of the competitors in the Queen of the Ring. We will establish ourselves as the top ladies in the division and maybe have Nattie join us.” 

“Go big or go home.” Rhea mused, before crawling off of Charlotte’s bed. “I’m tired so I am going to try and get some rest.” 

Toni nodded her head, thinking that Rhea was probably wise. “I think I should do the same. I’ve been up for almost twenty-hours.” 

\-- The next night at Raw --

“Hey Nattie, do you mind if we talk for a moment?” Charlotte asked, walking up behind the blonde Canadian women. 

Nattie who was getting her makeup done gave her a thumbs up. “Yeah, that would be fine, what did you want to talk about Charlotte?” 

Charlotte looked around, gauging who was around them. Most of the women’s division was on Raw for the competition. Tonight was supposed to be the semi-finals and then on Smackdown would be the final match. 

“Tonight is my match against Shayna, but I wanted to talk to you about possibly joining my new stable tomorrow. I feel like Sovereignty is going to be a huge thing and I would really like you to be a part of it.” Charlotte explained keeping her voice down. Some of the other women superstars knew, but Charlotte didn’t want to ruin the surprise for those that didn’t know. 

Nattie met Charlotte’s gaze, knowing now was the time that she would have to give a definitive yes or no. She had talked with TJ and really struggled with if she thought it would be a career move. TJ was a very business-minded man who had an uncanny knowledge for the wrestling business. He had encouraged her to at least give it a try and Nattie was willing to do that. 

“Yes, I will join your group. I talked with creative and they laid out the plan you had for the group so far, so yes I would like to go forward with it. I am honored you thought of me.” Nattie said holding her hand out to shake Charlotte’s. “When would I be joining you, Toni and Rhea?” 

Charlotte's whole face lit up and hugged Nattie tightly, burying her face into the shorter woman’s shoulder. As silly as it sounded, it made her a lot more confident knowing she would have Nattie to help and anchor the group. Charlotte let out a content sigh and pulled back to stare at the amused Canadian. 

“Settle your tea kettle there Flair. Seriously when would I be joining you, you didn’t answer my question.” Nattie said barely able to hide her laughter. She was always laughing because she felt her humor ran hand-in-hand with Charlotte's.

“Sorry about that. I got excited about everything, you would be joining the group tomorrow. I am supposed to beat Shayna Baszler tonight, and then tomorrow in the finals Ronda is going to call me out. Rhea, Toni and I will beat her down after I win tomorrow and you will come out to make the save. Except at the very last moment when Ronda’s back is turned, you’re going to turn on her.” Charlotte explained, proceeding to lay out the plan. 

Nattie let out a low whistle, surprised at all the thought Charlotte had put into making the stable work. The North Carolina Native had essentially given the WWE creative team a gold mine of possibilities. 

“I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen,” Nattie said, a wide smile crossing her face. She watched as Toni and Rhea walked up behind Charlotte, flanking her like guard dogs. “I just realized the four of us are gonna be like a blonde female stable, like a blondetourage.” 

Charlotte looked at the two rookies and then back to Nattie. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. I wouldn’t trade it for the world though. As Sovereignty, we’re going to continue to make women’s wrestling the hottest thing in the industry.” 

Rhea was watching Nattie with a bit of a starstruck look. She extended a hand to the veteran. “I am excited to work with you mate.” 

Toni echoed Rhea’s sentiments. “I can’t wait to learn from both you and Charlotte. This is going to be one crazy ride.” 

Nattie shook their hands, appreciating the respect they were showing her. “Go out there and make me proud. I’ll see just what I have to teach you.” She joked with a little wink. 

“Yeah, it’s about time for my match against Shayna. You’re gonna be impressed with what these two can do.” Charlotte announced as she checked her watch. She gave Nattie one last hug and then signaled for the younger two superstars to follow her. 

As Charlotte's music hit, she turned to look at them. "Remind me to try and brainstorm some good entrance music for us." Charlotte pointed out, before leading the way to the ring. 

From the second Charlotte stepped out onto the stage the crowd was a mix of half cheers and half boos when the crowd saw Rhea and Toni however it turned to boos. Watching how they reacted too, Charlotte noticed it seemed to bother Toni more than it did Rhea who was used to playing a heel. She made a mental note to talk to Toni about it and give her some tips on how to act like the heel that Charlotte knew she could bee. 

Charlotte slid into the ring, followed by Toni and Rhea who followed her. Grabbing a mic, Charlotte motioned for her music to be cut off, she wanted to give a little promo before her match started. 

"You all are going to witness me decimate Shayna Baszler. You are going to be a witness to the start of something new and that is my coronation as the Queen of the Ring. Toni and Rhea are smart, they've sworn fealty to the Queen, they know how this all plays out. The rest of you are just a bunch of dumb sheep, following Ronda and her group of fakers, because once upon a time they were relevant. Ronda, Shayna and the other two are failures in their sport, they're has-beens who came over to WWE after they got beaten one too many times. They got their cute little gimmicks, Shayna calling herself the Queen of Spades. Well, she is going to bow down to the real Queen of WWE." 

The boos rained down on Charlotte and she rolled her eyes, dropping the mic. Shayna's music hit and Charlotte motioned for Toni and Rhea to get out of the ring. 

"I got this, watch and you might learn something." Charlotte encouraged, acting arrogant but in actuality she wanted the rookies to watch her match and how she played the crowd. Wrestling on the main roster was a lot different than being down in NXT and wrestling on the indies. 

Charlotte had wanted to draft somebody like Shayna but two things had stopped her, Shayna was a little bit older and Shayna was also Ronda's friend. It wasn't that Charlotte totally hated the rowdy one, but they didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things. They could be professional, but Charlotte wasn't about to hang out with Ronda's crew on a consistent basis if she could avoid it. Still, Shayna was probably the one out of the four that Charlotte liked the best, the girl had a natural ability and was a gifted talker. 

As Shayna and Charlotte grappled and reversed each other's moves, Charlotte had to contain the fact that she wanted to smile. Wrestling Shayna was easy and it made her feel on top of the world, it was one of those rare things where Charlotte felt a lot of in-ring chemistry. 

The two of them had dueling chants going on the crowd was eating out of the palms of their hands. Everybody in the crowd wanted to see the two women of them tear each other apart. 

Charlotte hit natural selection and was going to try and lock in the figure eight leg lock when Shayna countered and got Charlotte into her a submission off her own. Glancing over to the side of the ring, Charlotte flailed about a little bit, signaling to Toni and Rhea that it was time to make their presence felt. 

Toni distracted the ref while Rhea hit a monstrous spear on Shayna that would have made Edge proud. Rhea then picked up Shayna and hit the Riptide before rolling out of the ring. Charlotte smirked and made the cover, as the ref counted to three, awarding her the match. 

Charlotte was all smiled as she linked hands with her two rookies and slowly lifted their joined hands up. The crowd was trying to boo them out of the building, but the reaction was everything Charlotte wanted. To make the crowd feel some kind of emotion, even hate was enough for her. She couldn't wait to see what the fans were going to do the next night on Smackdown. 

As it turned out, the very next night the fans were just as vocal when Charlotte and her rookies made their way to the ring. There were signs in the crowd warning that once Ronda got her hands on the trio she was going to kill them. Charlotte was riding high off of the energy as well. 

She had spent the day talking to Toni and Rhea about just how big the angle was going to be and what their roles would be in the match would be. Charlotte had instructed Rhea to face down Shayna who would be accompanying Ronda down to the ring and that Toni would be responsible for helping Charlotte take out Ronda.

Charlotte grabbed a mic and was about to cut a scathing promo on how she was already a Queen and that it was pointless for Ronda to come out when the Rowdy one's music hit. Ronda stormed the ring, all fired up with an equally fired up Shayna Baszler following in her wake. 

"You're a coward Charlotte," Ronda growled, snatching the microphone out of Charlotte's hand. Charlotte looked unamused and simply requested another mic, but Ronda got in her face. "No, you're going to shut your mouth and listen for once. I am the Raw women's champion and you will respect me before I rip your arm off and beat you with it. Do you know who I am, because you surely don't know what I am capable of? I am the baddest woman on the planet!' Ronda spat, before throwing her mic to the ground angrily. 

Rhea picked up the mic and snorted. "The baddest woman on the planet Ronda? You're not even the baddest women in this ring. Charlotte isn't scared of you or did you forget the beating she gave you with a kendo stick? I'd be happy to remind you." Rhea smirked at the champion, giving her a little shove before Shayna got into her face. 

Charlotte laughed, liking the improv skills that Rhea was demonstrating. She admired her rookie's ambition and promo skills. "You heard my rookie, you are nothing compared to us Ronda. If you need a reminding of the beating I gave you at Survivor Series, I am all for it.."

Throwing down her own mic, Charlotte waited for the bell to ring before she went after Ronda Rousey. Charlotte knew because of Ronda's lack of wrestling ability she'd have to carry the match, but that didn't bother her. She was willing to do whatever was expected of her and to perform at the height of her abilities. Charlotte had helped train Ronda at the performance center and put together a somewhat decent match for them to do as the finals of the Queen of the Ring. 

The numbers game of Sovereignty was too much though as every time Charlotte would start to lose or Ronda would get any offense in, the two Aussie women would interfere. Toni would grab onto Ronda's boot, or Rhea would jump up on the ring apron to distract Ronda for the moment. 

Shayna tried to help Ronda, but it was still effectively a handicapped match with a three against one advantage to Sovereignty. Charlotte had just hit an exploder suplex on Ronda, launching her into the corner when Natalya's intro music hit. Natalya ran to the ringside and chased Toni and Rhea around for a moment. 

Now that for the moment the odds were even, the crowd began believing that Ronda might win the whole thing and was half booing and half cheering her. There were people in the crowd that hated Ronda and didn't want to see her win another accolade at the expense of one of the WWE four horsewomen. 

Ronda went for the armbar submission, but the second she almost got it locked in, Nattie threw Shayna into the ring and straight into the referee. Ronda released Charlotte and stood up to check on Nattie and Shayna. Nattie waited until Ronda turned back around, then hit her with a discus clothesline. Turning on Ronda, Nattie put the boots to the fallen champion. The crowd was watching stunned as they saw Nattie beat down her former friend. 

Rhea then came into the ring hitting the Riptide and then hauled an unsteady Ronda back to her feet. Toni grabbed Ronda for the Storm Zero, then slithered out of the ring leaving Charlotte to pick up the win. The ref was just coming too as Charlotte made the cover, the ref counted to three and then declared Charlotte the Queen of the Ring.

Some members of the crowd were heckling Natalya for turning on Ronda and Shayna, but Nattie didn't care. Standing over the fallen forms of Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey, Sovereignty embraced and celebrated Charlotte's win. Together, Nattie and Rhea lifted Charlotte upon their shoulders, with Toni posing in front of them holding Charlotte's new crown to close out the show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everybody is enjoying the story.


	3. We are the future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rowdy one takes issue with the emergence of Sovereignty, but the new stable stands tall. Nattie tries to make Toni/Rhea into an actual efficient tag-team.

Something about standing in the ring with three equally powerful women, made Charlotte feel invincible. It didn't matter that the crowd was booing them, it didn't even phase her. Charlotte and the rest of the group had been bombarded for almost a week with hate messages on social media, but a select few people had actually already bought into the new group. Sprinkled amongst the hundreds of signs cheering for the other superstars, there were still some various ones for Charlotte and Sovereignty. 

It never failed to impress Charlotte just how creative her fans could be. She appreciated the loyalty of the ones who would follow her through the changes to her character. Those fans were the ones she loved the best. She had already gotten encouraging messages supporting her on her new stable and her winning of Queen of the Ring. 

Charlotte had walked to the ring, ready to be officially coronated Queen of The Ring. Stephanie McMahon herself was out to put the crown on Charlotte's blonde head. It felt fitting to Charlotte to be in the situation she was in, almost like destiny. The second the crown touched her head, she stood up and grabbed a microphone. Charlotte had spent most of the day watching old Evolution tapes of Triple H and her father. The little speech that she had planned, had some throwbacks to what Triple H had said when introducing evolution. 

"Sixteen years ago Triple H stood in this very ring and told all of you that a new day was dawning. That Evolution had come and if you didn't get with the program, it was going to leave you behind. I am here to tell you the same thing, a new evolution has come. In this ring are four of the best pure athletes in the world. In this industry, just like in life everything evolves, and we are living proof of that." Charlotte explained, turning her attention from the crowd, to look at the ladies in the ring with her. 

"For years you all mocked and made fun of Natalya, but do you realize that she has more talent in her little finger than all of you combined. The only female graduate of Stu Hart's famous dungeon, the daughter of the anvil. A two-time champion and future hall of fame legend. She held this division when the ring was full of wannabe fitness models whose best matches were dance competitions. You should all learn something from her, maybe then your pathetic lives would have meaning." 

Charlotte rolled her eyes, chuckling with the crowd booed her. "You can boo me all you want, but you know I am right. My father was the greatest performer of his generation just like Natalya. Right now, I am the greatest and in the future, Toni and Rhea will be. Toni and Rhea are lightyears ahead of everybody else in NXT. They have wrestled around the world while you slackers were in college gaining your freshman fifteen." 

The crowd was now pissed and booing so loud that Charlotte could barely be heard, but it didn't matter to her. If anything it just amused her more, causing her to just grin. The smile on her face evaporated and was replaced by a look of annoyance when Ronda Rousey's music hit. 

"Nobody cares about you or your group Charlotte. You're out here calling the WWE Universe pathetic when all you do is rely on your stupid friends and tricks to win." Ronda growled, striding down to the ring. "You know I'd expect you to at this way, but seriously Nattie. Did you really turn on me for a Flair? Somebody who'll only turn on you later, I thought were friends. If you are gonna betray me, have the balls to look me in the eyes when you do it." 

Charlotte let out a disgusted sigh. "Do you ever hear yourself talk, who writes your lines for you? Is it Jimmy or your crappy make-up artist, talk about stabbing somebody in the back. Whoever told you your makeup looks good, is lying." Charlotte said, giving a knowing look to her stablemates. "Why don't you run backstage and go try to be relevant somewhere else, the wrestlers are talking here Ronda." 

Ronda dove into the right, going straight for Charlotte. She got a few punches in before Nattie, Rhea and Toni pulled her off and started beating her down. The trio tossed Ronda harshly out of the ring, laughing as she rubbed her back. 

Charlotte was livid at being interrupted. "You know what champ, I'll tell you what. You put that title on the line at the next PPV, and I'll show you just how powerful I am. I don't need them in my corner to beat you. I'll show my rookies, how we take care of business." 

"You're on," Ronda called back, slowly backing up the ramp and holding her aching back. “At elimination chamber, I am going to break you Charlotte.” 

When Sovereignty eventually made their way backstage, Nattie pulled the younger two member asides. She wanted to not only train with them, but she wanted to have them team up with her. Plus she wanted to get to know them a little better since she had not had any real alone time with them yet.

“You two know I’ve had a program lately with the Riott Squad right?” Nattie asked, her gaze searching, wondering if the Aussies had been paying attention to what was happening on the main roster. 

“It’s always been the three of them against you. You have us though and what better way to make a stand against them and declare ourselves top heels. They’re number one contenders for Bayley and Sasha’s titles.” Rhea pointed out. She glanced to Toni, trying to picture them as future women’s tag team champions.

Natalya gently punched Rhea in the shoulder. “I like the way you think. You can take out Sarah, Toni can take out Liv, and I’ll take out Ruby. It’s going to be perfect.” Natalya said, knowing that the WWE universe would appreciate the symbolism of her taking out the Riott Squad in a tag match.

Toni nodded her approval. “I am down for a show of unity. It would give us something to do, while Charlotte is contending with Ronda. I am actually excited to see that match up.” 

Giving a nod of her head in agreement, Rhea glanced to where their leader was talking with Becky Lynch and the other two horsewomen. Rhea longed for the day when she’d have a group of tight-knit friends that she could put on insane matches with. She had Toni of course, but there was a bit of a difference. Nevertheless, she was glad that she was getting to learn from Charlotte not only in how to be professional in the ring but also outside of it. 

“I am glad you’re on our team Nattie.” Rhea mused softly, missing the look of compassion that filled Natalya’s eyes, she was still watching Charlotte. 

Natalya laughed and wrapped an arm around the rookie’s shoulder. “Come on kids, let’s go find the Squad. Maybe we can talk to them about some spots we could do in our match.” 

Across the hallway, Becky Lynch nodded to Charlotte’s group. “You got yourself some winners there.” 

Charlotte nodded a look of pride in her eyes. “I needed something new to do, and you always told me to wrestle my heart out while bringing others up to my level. I think the stable will be good for me.” 

Becky nodded her head. “I think so, is the plan to have the rookies eventually face Bayley and Sasha for the titles?”

“They can try, I’d like to see what they can do in the ring.” Bayley was always up for working with new talent and helping build the division. 

Sasha, on the other hand, seemed a little more hesitant. “I think it makes more sense for them to work a program with the Riott Squad to sharpen up their tag-team wrestling. I mean nobody has seen them compete together, only against each other.” 

“I think your right, Nattie will definitely help them with some tag team maneuvers.” Charlotte had faith that Nattie could turn the two Aussies into actual tag-team material. “If nothing else, working with the Riott Squad could teach them a thing or two. Having a good match and being a good tag-team together is something everybody should learn.

Becky smiled, tilting her head. “Maybe Bayley and Sasha can work with them, and us too. At the performance center, I mean. It’s been a while since all four of us have shared a ring.” Becky pointed out with an amused smile. 

“That sounds good to me,” Charlotte said, agreeing to the idea. She was willing to do anything to help her proteges learn and perfect their craft. 

Sasha eyed Becky, not liking to be volunteered for things without her consent. She did however like putting on show-stealing matches and if she was going to steal the show with Rhea and Toni, she wanted the other duo to be an effective tag-team. “We’ll work with them at the performance center, but they better be there to learn and work hard.” 

Charlotte arched a brow. “I hand-picked them because they are some of the hardest working women down in NXT.” She said taking up for them. Charlotte was well aware that Toni and Rhea were going to have to earn Sasha’s respect, that was just the way Sasha was. 

"I'll make sure that that they're ready to train Sasha." Charlotte continued after a minute. She gave Becky a hug, and then excused herself from the group. She didn't want anybody doubting her new stable, least of all her actual friends. When Charlotte found her crew, they were in the midst of a discussion with the Riott Squad. 

"So, I am thinking that one of you could hit me with your finisher and then that would allow Nattie to put the sharpshooter on." Ruby was throwing out some idea for a three-on-three match. That was just the kind of person Ruby was, she wanted to have a great match that even if the Squad lost, they'd have memorable moments. 

"I wouldn't mind taking your finisher," Toni explained, throwing out a plan of her own. She would allow Ruby to hit the Riott kick, then Rhea could come up behind Ruby and hit the Riptide, to set up Nattie's submission. 

Liv grinned at Toni's little idea. "That's not bad at all, I like it Storm." She said, expressing her excitement for the angle. 

Clearing her throat, Charlotte approached the group. "Do you all want to go out and grab some drinks or something to eat. We can discuss more plans, but I'm ready to go home." 

"We're down," Ruby said, answering for the Squad. The Riott Squad always moved as a unit, which is what made them effective. 

Nattie gave the other veterans a concerned look but shrugged. "Yeah, let's get out of here." She grabbed her gear bag, but Rhea smiled and took it from her, explaining that she'd carry it. She watched the others leave before she took Charlotte's elbow. "Hey are you okay, what's going on?" 

Charlotte waved her off. "Don't worry about it, Sasha just got into my head a little bit." She didn't want to worry Nattie. 

"Sasha is just jealous she didn't come up with a stable of her own. You know she can be a bit self-centered. Let's just focus on building something great and she will fall in line. She always does." Nattie replied, squeezing Charlotte's elbow in an attempt to reassure her. 

All the taller blonde could do was force a smile. She believed in Sovereignty, she had hand-selected her group, because she felt like they were the best. Maybe Nattie was right and Sasha was just jealous, but it still made Charlotte feel a little upset. She hadn't been trying to choose her new stable over her friendship with her fellow Horsewomen but that's what Sasha made her feel like she was doing. Charlotte just wanted to prove Sasha wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was a bit short, it was kind of a filler chapter. Hopefully, the next one will be longer, I just needed this chapter to push the plot a little further.


	4. Training and a new 'family' tradition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sovereignty train with the Riott Squad and Rousey. Nattie also institutes a new family tradition.

“While the Heart-attack was a great tag-team move, I want you two to have a move of your own. You always need a good repertoire of tag maneuvers.” Nattie pointed out, pointing across the training ring to the Riott Squad. “They have good maneuvers.” 

The six female superstars had been at the WWE performance center for close to an hour already, working on various matches. Nattie was actually grateful for her in-ring enemies assistance. If anybody could show the rookies how to be an effective unit, it was the Riott Squad. 

“A lot of our moves have Sarah lifting either me or Liv up and throwing us down on the opponent. It’s a good move because it looks awesome and highlights Sarah’s strength. Rhea, being that you’re a powerhouse, that would be your job.” Ruby explained, before laying in the middle of the ring. She didn’t mind allowing Rhea and Toni to practice some of the moves on her. 

Toni and Rhea huddled in the corner, discussing what they thought would be a good move. They wanted it to be flashy but also look devastating. Plus it had to be practical and safe, no matter how cool it looked, if it wasn’t safe than it wasn’t worth it.

“What if I run at you and you lift me up and then do like a flapjack on top of Ruby’s stomach?” Toni suggested, looking from Rhea to where Ruby was laying in the middle of the mat. 

Rhea hesitated but decided to give it a try. “Okay run the ropes and I’ll flapjack you right on top of Ruby.” 

It took them about three tries before Rhea actually managed to get Toni up to do a proper slam back on Ruby. Toni kept pulling her run back so Rhea was struggling to actually get her fellow Australian high enough to do the move.

Natalya watched them, before shaking her head. “I don’t know if I like that one very much. Try something else.” She suggested, trying to bail Toni out of having to do the move that she didn’t seem at all comfortable with.

“Well can’t Toni do like a shooting star press? Rhea would just need to hit a powerful move before it, maybe the Riptide, and then Toni can come in and do a standing shooting star press.” Sarah suggested, she had seen Ricochet do a standing shooting star press and then roll forward and hit a rebounding moonsault right after. It had been one of the cooler moves at the NXT Takeover event.

“Yeah, that would actually be kind of dope,” Toni said, knowing for a fact she could do a standing shooting star press. She looked to Rhea who was smiling at the idea, like it as well. 

Rhea picked Ruby up, positioning so that she could hit the Riptide close to the corner. She then tagged in Toni who ran at the downed leader of the Riott Squad and hit a pretty decent shooting star press. 

“Ohh I like it. You should call it the RipStorm.” Liv suggested, giving them a thumbs up. 

“The RipStorm is a good name. It sounds like a cool move and it’s one you can use on all sizes of opponents. I think you got your tag-team finisher.” Nattie said, before helping Ruby up, and taking her place so that her rookies could practice the move again. 

“What about a submission too? I could hit a German suplex or Storm Zero and then Rhea could use her inverted Texas cloverleaf submission?” Toni wanted to give Rhea a good new finish too, that way Rhea could get the win sometimes too for their tag matches.

“Go ahead and try it on me,” Sarah said, getting in the ring to allow Toni to practice. Toni hit her with a German suplex before Rhea locked in the inverted submission. 

“Call that one the Inversion.” Nattie was pleased by how it looked. It was good for wrestlers to have different ways to win and finish a match. “You ladies are going to put the rest of us to shame with those moves.”

Toni ducked her head sheepishly at Nattie’s praise. “I guess we’re going to see.” She was trying to keep herself humble and modest, she didn’t want to offend the Canadian.

Across the Performance Center, Charlotte was doing some training of her own with Ronda. Ronda was teaching her some basic judo moves for fun as well. Though Charlotte would never actually admit it, Ronda wasn't so bad to hang out with when they were out of the ring. There was a fire in the former MMA fighter and Charlotte could respect that. 

"So I can't hit you with a weapon this time, so we're going to need to have a proper finish." Charlotte had been one of the people to help train Ronda from the beginning, so they had an established layer of trust. Ronda was far more willing to lose to people who she knew would make her look good doing it.

Ronda nodded her head. "I think I want you to be one of the first people to kick out of the piper's pit, or somehow break the submission. You're strong, so you could probably just lift me up and slam me back down." Ronda suggested, willing to do anything. She knew how much Charlotte and the other female superstars had done to put her over, and now Ronda was willing to do the same. 

Charlotte nodded slowly, oddly touched that Ronda was so willing to lose to her. "You sure about this?" She asked, her gaze searching. Charlotte and the other women had spent months building Ronda up and making her look like a million bucks, so it was nice to have the favor returned.

"Actually I am positive. My husband really wants to try for kids soon and I would like to have a baby. I am going to have to lose the title at some point and who better to lose it too than you. You deserve it Charlotte, but don't tell anybody I said that." Ronda warned, playfully shoving at Charlotte's arm. 

"You think they're actually gonna let me have it? I feel like they'd find a way to let you keep it." Charlotte was scared to be hopeful, she had been disappointed in the past when titles had been promised to her and then stripped away. "Thanks for being willing to do business, Ronda."

The Rowdy One wasn't really sure how to take a compliment like that, so she just awkwardly shrugged and tried to hide the smile that was threatening to spread across her face. "Come on now, don't get soft on me Flair. We need to come up with a good finishing sequence." 

By this time the rest of Sovereignty and the Riott Squad had come over to watch Charlotte and Ronda work out. The added pressure of having people watch the training session only spurred Charlotte on. Charlotte traded submissions and signature moves with Ronda, going through a couple different sequences before she pretended to pin her. 

Toni slid into the ring and slapped the mat three times in rapid succession. "The winner and your new Raw women's champion... Charlotte." Toni called, holding up Charlotte's hand in a teasing manner. 

Ronda laughed and rolled her eyes. "Hey, come on now. I still have my title for one more week, don't give Charlotte any ideas. I don't want her to try and steal my championship early." 

"Trust me, I already have some ideas for what I want to do with my belt." Charlotte fired back, winking at Ronda before she climbed out of the ring. "I kept my decorative plates from last time."

As Charlotte walked back to the locker room to shower and change out of her gear, she saw Becky just chilling. "Hey, you okay?" She asked noticing the downcasted look on Becky's face. 

Becky sighed softly and shrugged, unsure of how to explain what was going on in her head. "I am just going to miss you being on the same brand with me. I found out today that I am starting a storyline with the McMahons." 

Charlotte sat down next to her best friend and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "That's great though, there's always a lot of publicity that comes with that. The fans love you and want to see you kick butt." Charlotte wasn't sure why her friend didn't seem happier. 

"I am thankful for the opportunity don't get me wrong. I just wish that maybe I could do something different. Triple H hardly wrestles anymore and while Steph can go in the ring, she isn't exactly a real threat like you or Asuka." Becky didn't want to sound ungrateful, she just preferred to be wrestling for a title or embroiled in a good storyline. 

Charlotte just squeezed her best friend's hand. "Hey, I'll tell you what. Why don't you come to my house tonight? We'll have a girl's night, the rookies can sleep in Nattie's room." 

"I am sure Nattie will love that." Becky deadpanned, she could already hear Nattie telling the rookies to settle their tea kettles. Nattie was such a mother hen sometimes that it made it all the more fun to mess with her. The veteran Canadian wrestler always wanted everybody to succeed and do well, it’s what made Becky adore her so much.

Charlotte chuckled. "Nattie will survive, just wait for me to shower and then we'll go hang out like old times. I miss you Becks." 

"I missed you too Charlie," Becky mumbled, hugging Charlotte tightly. She pulled away a few seconds later. "Eww, yeah you need a shower, Charlie. You stink to high heaven!" 

Charlotte rewarded her friend with a pinch to the arm. “Shut up, you know you love the aroma of Charlotte.” She joked, before heading to go ahead and take her shower. She knew some quality time with Becky would put them both at ease, since Charlotte hadn't gotten to spend a lot of time with the four horsewomen outside of work. 

\---  
"Since we are going to be teaming together and since you three are now my 'family', I want you to meet my actual family." Natalya was explaining as she unlocked the door to her house. Natalya had figured since they would all be spending so much time together, that it was important they all have a weekly tradition like family dinner. 

Charlotte had been okay with the idea, simply because it was a home cooked meal. It was rare that she'd get a home cooked meal since they were all traveling. Plus it would give Toni and Rhea a chance to bond with Nattie even more. A weekly dinner would allow them to catch up and take a break from all the chaos on the road. 

"Your house is lovely," Toni said in reply, glancing around. She had her own little apartment, which she now shared with Rhea since they had become a team. Still her apparent was tiny compared to Nattie's home. 

Rhea jumped slightly when one of Nattie's cats ran past her. She cleared her throat, trying to collect herself, while subtly hiding behind Toni. Rhea wasn't the biggest fan of being startled, let alone by cats. 

Nattie gave Rhea a quizzical glance but waved her off. "Come on, I think the food is almost ready." 

"You cooked? Should we have poison control on speed dial?" Charlotte asked, unable to refrain from busting Nattie's chops. Everybody knew that Nattie wasn't the best cook in the world. 

Glaring at Charlotte, Nattie shook her head. "TJ and my mom helped." 

"Yeah, you should be thankful. If Nattie were to try and cook, I don't think I'd have a house." Nattie's husband TJ commented he was sitting in front of the TV. 

Nattie's mom was busy stirring a pot on the stove. "I feel like I failed as a mother, my own daughter can't cook, but at least she can wrestle." 

Nattie flushed with embarrassment. "Ignore them. Rhea, Toni, I would like to introduce you to my mom Ellie Hart, and you, of course, know my husband TJ." 

Toni gave a little wave. "Nice to meet you Ellie, and to see you again TJ. Do you need any help Ellie, I am good at cooking." 

Rhea followed suit, but instead of heading into the kitchen, went and sat by TJ on the couch. "What are you watching mate?" 

TJ gave a wide grin. "I'm watching the US National Hockey team play a game against Canada's. It's always a good match." He mused. 

Rhea looked excited and settled back against the couch. "Right on then." She mused. 

Nattie exchanged a look with Charlotte, before laughing. "I have a feeling, my mom and husband just adopted the two Australians." 

"Well, at least your family is fine with you adopting two strays." Charlotte joked back, watching Toni bonding with Ellie, and TJ explaining what was happening in the game to Rhea. 

Nattie was watching as well, but she looked proud more than anything else. She had never really wanted kids, her animals were like her babies, but adopting the younger wrestlers and giving them a place to relax was something she could do. "I don't think I mind adopting those two strays. They fit right in." 

Charlotte smiled and gave Nattie a hug. “It’s an odd little family but I am glad to have to have it. Thanks for inviting us over for dinner. I think this is a great tradition to start Nattie. It's nice to have something to look forward too."

“You know you are always welcome Charlotte, the rookies too. Don’t tell them this, but I think I just might have a soft spot for them.” Nattie said with a giggle. “Now to just get Rhea over her fear of cats.” She mused watching as Rhea was subtly trying to get away from Machiavelli.


	5. The bitter taste of defeat and the better taste of Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RipStorm becomes number one contenders, but suffer their first loss as a team. Charlotte faces Ronda for the Raw women's title, and they all learn that there are more important things than wrestling.

“You’re going to be okay mate, just breathe.” 

Rhea’s voice seemed to cut through Toni’s daydream. Toni wasn’t sure she’d call it a dream but rather a nightmare, tonight was supposed to be a good moment for her and Rhea. The Riott Squad were supposed to put them over and yet Toni was feeling nervous. All that kept running through her mind was what-ifs. She was worried that she’d have a wardrobe malfunction or that she’d miss her cue. 

“I hope so,” Toni said finally mustering up a reply. She was trying to fake the confidence that she was lacking, but she knew Rhea would see right through her.

The taller Aussie sat down next to her and squeezed her shoulder. “Look, whether we win, lose or draw we’re in this together.” 

Toni swallowed hard, that didn’t make her feel any better. She didn’t want to be the reason that Rhea ended up becoming the laughing stock of the main roster. 

Rhea looked disappointed and nudged her. “Who are you?”

Toni glanced at her. “Toni Storm.” She mumbled.

“No that was horrible mate. Come on with more enthusiasm.” Rhea challenged, waiting until Toni said it with more confidence. “You are Toni ‘take no prisoners’ Storm. You have a whole career ahead of you, that would make anybody jealous. It’s okay to be nervous, but take those feelings of doubt and use them to motivate you.” 

The absurdity of Rhea giving her a motivational pep talk was not lost on Toni. “Have you been listening to Charlotte’s tapes again?” Toni asked she had caught Rhea on more than one occasion listening to the motivation tapes Charlotte owned. 

“She has good taste, what can I say. I see my destiny and now I want to reach out and grab it.” Rhea liked listening to those kinds of tapes because they reminded her to believe in the impossible dreams. 

“Are you ready for our match?” Toni asked as she began to lace her wrestling boots. They were becoming number one contenders to the Women’s Tag Titles, and hopefully cementing themselves as a legitimate threat to Bayley and Sasha’s reign. 

Rhea stood up and began to do some stretches, trying to make herself more limber for the match. “Yeah, I have a feeling all the hard work will pay off. We’ve been training with them a lot and so I think the chemistry will really make the whole match sizzle. It’ll get a good crowd reaction.” 

“Do you think Charlotte is going to be watching?” Toni wanted to impress their mentor, but Charlotte had been busy doing some promotional stuff for her match up with Ronda. That left the two rookies in the care of Nattie who was trying to mother them. 

“Probably, I mean you know she cares about our success. We can ask her for helpful critiques and advice later.” Rhea said, before clearing her throat. She pushed her nerves aside and held out a hand to her tag-partner. “Let’s do this thing T!”

They met Nattie who was waiting for them, near the curtain and walked out together to face down the Riott Squad. The match seemed to go well, for once the Riott Squad was getting cheered like the heroes since everybody seemed to hate Sovereignty more. 

Nattie kept calling out moves to her proteges, insisting that they take the match to the next level and use some of their newer tag-team moves they had been working on. The crowd seemed to come alive when Rhea hit the Riptide and then Toni hit a standing shooting star press.

Liv who took the move, sold it like a champion, making Rhea and Toni look awesome. Toni pinned Liv, getting the victory before jumping into Nattie and Rhea’s arms to celebrate the victory. 

“Good job ladies.” Nattie congratulated them, proud of how far they had come as a proper tag-team. “That finishing move was really cool. You both should definitely use it again, make it a staple of your move set.”

When the trio got backstage, Charlotte was waiting for them with a bright smile on her face. “Hey, I saw the match. Great job out there, I just wanted to tell you how proud I am.” Charlotte gave her sweaty friends a hug. “Also tomorrow we’ve been chosen for a promotional event.”

Rhea raised a brow. “What kind of promotional event?” She asked, already willing to do whatever was required. 

“A Make-A-Wish event. A group of sick children wanted to meet WWE stars, and a couple, in particular, requested to meet us.” Charlotte explained, they had mainly requested to meet her and Nattie, but she was going to make sure the rookies were there too. It was an important lesson that she wanted them to know, the fans would always come before any match or title.

Toni smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’d like to meet them. I’ll go see if I can find buy some merch to give them.” Toni wanted to make the kids feel special. 

Nattie clapped her hands excitedly, she loved doing those type of events. She loved talking to younger fans. “I will come with you Toni, I have loads of old merch I can give out.” 

Rhea wasn’t so sure she was great with kids, but she was willing to do whatever she could to make them feel better. “Count me in.” She said softly. 

The next day at the event Charlotte sent her three stablemates in ahead of her. She wanted to see how they would all do on their own. She had no worries about Nattie of course, but she wanted to see how Rhea and Toni would interact. Charlotte had always been in awe of the brave kids that she got to meet, they were a lot stronger than some of the toughest wrestlers. 

Her father had made a point to tell her that she always needed to be respectful to the fans and to remember the loyal ones. That was why Charlotte always made an effort to be polite and engage with everyone who came to meet and greets, signings and panels that she was a part of. 

Making her way into the room, Charlotte was pleased to see that Toni and Nattie were already taking pictures with the kids. It took her a moment to find Rhea, the mosh-pit kid was talking to a kid over in the corner who had headphones on. Whatever Rhea was saying was clearly making the young boy laugh. A proud smile crossed Charlotte’s face, as she watched the little interaction. 

Charlotte made her way around the room, taking time to greet all the kids and parents. She was willing to pose and take as many pictures as they wanted. One of the little girls had a Ronda shirt on and Charlotte playfully pouted at her.

“Are you going to be cheering for Ronda tomorrow at the show? You want her to beat me?” Charlotte asked, giving the little girl a little disapproving head-shake. 

The little girl nodded shyly. “I like her costumes and when she smiles.” 

Charlotte pursed her lips. “Well, I bet Ronda would love you. She loves cute people, I think I might have her number. I’ll see if she can say hi to you.” Charlotte pulled out her phone and quickly texted Ronda. It took a minute or two but Ronda eventually facetimed and Charlotte let the little girl talk to the Rowdy one for a few minutes. 

Even though they were on opposite sides in the ring, Charlotte could appreciate that the little fans bought into Ronda’s character. It didn’t matter at the end of the day that Charlotte was going to win the belt, there were more important things in life. 

When the little girl handed Charlotte the phone back, Ronda was beaming through the phone. “That little girl was the cutest thing ever Flair.” 

“She’d even more adorable in person. They need to bring you to the events, the kids love you and Becky.” Charlotte mused, knowing that the other two women were some of the most requested for wishes.

Toni in the meantime had walked over as Charlotte was ending her phone call. “There are a few kids that would like a picture with all of Sovereignty. Apparently, they made little shirts with us on them.” Toni explained, sounding kind of excited at the prospect. It was rather flattering to have fans care enough about their group to want to make fan shirts. 

Charlotte laughed and followed Toni to where Rhea and Nattie were waiting. The women posed with the kids, letting them call out different poses. Charlotte was enjoying herself, these events put into perspective why she chose to become a wrestler in the first place. She loved entertaining the fans and making their lives better. She could tell it was a good experience for the rookies too because it reminded them to be humble and caring. 

After the charity event was over, Toni was still beaming. “I can’t believe that just happened. The kids were so sweet, I think that’s probably in the top five of the coolest things that ever happened to me.”

“Yeah, I saw the little girl with the ‘Toni Time’ shirt. You were her hero.” Nattie commented, nudging Toni. “I am proud of you both, and I hope this is just the first of many make-a-wish events that you’ll do in your time with WWE.” 

“I’d be interested in signing up for more events or going to do hospital visits,” Rhea said quietly, while she had been nervous before, she felt like she had found another calling. 

Charlotte gave her friends a hug, before pulling away. “Alright, we should probably head out now to the rest of our interviews and promotional appearances. I then suggest that you younger two get some rest. You have that championship match with Bayley and Sasha tomorrow. Don’t give Sasha a reason to bust your chops, be prepared and follow their lead.” Charlotte warned, knowing that if the rookies messed up Sasha would come for them hard. 

\---  
As instructed, Rhea and Toni showed up early to the stadium to meet with Bayley and Sasha. The veterans were already in the ring warming up and running the ropes, though Sasha stopped when she spotted them. She nudged Bayley, who in turn offered them a friendly smile. 

"Hey, come on in," Bayley said, holding the ropes for them, inviting them into the ring. "Sasha and I were just discussing a possible finish for the match." 

Toni slid into the ring first offering Sasha a polite smile, before glancing at Rhea who was following more slowly. “We’re willing to do whatever you want to make this match successful.” Toni offered, attempting to be as diplomatic as she could. 

Sasha eyed Toni closely before tilting her head to the side. “As you’ve heard from creative, Bayley and I will be retaining our titles. The upper management, think it would be beneficial to have Sovereignty chase the titles until the next big show. That way when you do win the titles it’ll feel like a good pay off.” Sasha said, shifting her attention from Toni, to Rhea. 

“That’s fine like Toni said, we want to make this match successful. If we can tell a compelling story than it makes it all the more worthwhile.” Rhea conceded, not buckling under Sasha’s gaze. 

Bayley being the more friendly of her team nodded. “Compelling storytelling is precisely what we need.” She beamed at the rookies and then began to explain her and Sasha’s plan for the match in detail. 

The Boss and Hug Connection wanted to have Bayley be the face in peril. Toni and Rhea would be able to work Bayley over, targeting her back with some powerful offense. Then of course when things would seem the bleakest with Ripley and Storm getting some near falls, Bayley would tag in Sasha who would take out Rhea and trap Toni in the Bank Statement.

Rhea listened intently for a moment before clearing her throat “I think maybe we could go for our new move the RipStorm but I don’t think we should hit it. If Bayley immediately kicks out of our brand new finisher than it kind of demeans the move.” Rhea said, trying to tread lightly. She didn’t mind losing the match, but she was still trying to protect the intergrity of her character and stable. 

Sasha looked irritated that Rhea had even thought that object. “If it’s good enough for your partner, why isn’t it good enough for you?” Sasha asked hotly, her temper flaring a bit. 

Bayley gently grabbed Sasha’s elbow, shaking her head. “We can find another way, Sasha. We’re keeping the belts tonight, don’t throw a fit over this.” 

Sasha jerked her elbow away from Bayley and glared at Rhea. “No, clearly this overhyped rookie has no respect for the veterans in the business. Who do you think you are Ripley?” Sasha asked, shoving Rhea. 

Toni could see that Rhea was starting to get heated by Sasha’s arrogance and insults, so she got in between the two irritated competitors. “Sasha I promise you that Rhea didn’t mean any respect. I’ve been wrestling for ten years around the world, so I know about respect in the ring. We worked hard on developing that finishing move and we’re just trying to protect it. We have no issues losing to you and Bayley, and we appreciate your willingness to work with us.” Toni was trying to keep the peace and for the moment it seemed that Sasha’s ego was satiated. 

“Keep your girl in check Toni, she’s getting a big head. I wouldn't want to have to tell Charlotte that her shiny new toys are hard to work with” Sasha remarked snidely before exiting the ring with Bayley. Sasha's threat hung in the air, serving to infuriate the taller Aussie, who was glaring at the retreating Sasha. Bayley at least had the decency to shoot the duo an apologetic glance over her shoulder, clearly embarrassed by Sasha’s display.

When they got backstage Rhea was furious though, kicking at the trashcan inside of their locker room. Rhea did not appreciate the way that Sasha had been looking down on them. 

Toni watched as Rhea raged about their locker room, giving her about two minutes before she stopped her. “Enough of that! You keep it up and you’re just going to prove her right. Sasha doesn’t think we deserve to be called up, don’t give her ammunition. Charlotte and Nattie have stuck their necks out for us and given us a chance to prove ourselves, don’t screw them over. If Sasha gets under your skin then you’re letting her win.” 

“She’s just so frustrating and rude, I don’t understand how Charlotte can stand her.” Rhea huffed, gritting her teeth as she fought to bring her temper back under control. 

Toni gave a quiet laugh before sighing. “You and I have our disagreements but we have each other's backs. Sasha is passionate, a bit egotistical but she cares about the business. If we have to play nice and take the loss to appease her ego than so be it. But we’re going to go out there and make her look golden because that’s what we’re supposed to do.” 

Toni knew it would be easy to get stuck looking at the Sasha-shaped obstacle in their way, but they had to focus on the bigger picture. At the end of the program with the Boss and Hug Connection, Sovereignty would be the ones walking away with the titles around their waists. 

“You’re right Toni.” Rhea finally admitted, knowing she had to focus on the long-term goal and not the short-term issues. She appreciated the fact that her friend could be levelheaded when all Rhea wanted to do was make Sasha's head level with the mat. 

Even though Rhea wasn't excited about having to take Sasha's crap and pretend it was amazing, she would do it for the betterment of her own team. If Sasha felt like Rhea hadn't paid her dues, then Rhea would grit her teeth and do her best to pay them now that she was on the main roster. 

The match actually ended up going pretty well for being the placed second on the card. Even though Nattie comically got banned from ringside, and they lost the match to Bayley and Sasha, Rhea was pleased with the result. They had even got the crowd to chant 'this is awesome' a couple of times, earning a massive pop when Toni did a shooting star press of the top rope to try and get a near fall on Bayley. 

When they made it backstage, Charlotte was once again waiting for them as she had been for their match against the Riott Squad. She was dressed in her own ring gear, clearly ready for her match against Ronda, but she wanted to talk to them before she went out. 

"I am proud of you both. I heard from Bayley that Sasha was being difficult, but I am glad you handled it like professionals. It's important in this competitive of an environment that you keep your wits about you. It is a big family, but families fight and can turn nasty. Don't give anybody a reason to bash you or your work ethic." Charlotte gave her stablemates a hug, before her music hit. She took a deep breath and composed herself. "It's showtime ladies, see you on the other side." 

Toni and Rhea walked over to the monitor to watch Charlotte's entrance and match with Ronda. Just like their last match at Survivor Series, Charlotte was putting Ronda through a wrestling clinic. The crowd was decidedly split towards Charlotte, most of the fans wanting the Queen to dethrone Ronda and take the Raw Women's title. 

Ronda who had improved a lot since their first match-up was actually able to stand toe-to-toe for most of the bout. Charlotte was doing her father's signature Flair-flops, selling like a champ for Ronda to make her look credible. 

The finish came after a series of reversals, Charlotte had Ronda in the figure-eight when the Rowdy one managed to reach the ropes. Ronda tried to punch Charlotte and attempted Piper's pit. The Queen wiggled out of Ronda's grasp, but Charlotte kicked her with a big boot. Then running the ropes, Charlotte hit natural selection and pinned Ronda for the win. 

Being a champion was always a humbling experience and this time was no different. Charlotte snatched the title to her chest, letting the ref raise her hand as her music played. The rest of Sovereignty had come out and stood on the ramp, clapping for their leader.

Charlotte held up her belt, and let out a celebratory battle cry. It felt like the crowd was roaring with her, lifting her to higher places. Now that she was champion, the spotlight would be shining even brighter on the stable. The next step would be helping the rookies capture the tag titles, which would establish them as one of the hottest stables in the sport's entertainment industry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you all enjoying the story? Do you think Baysha will eventually lose the title to RipStorm and Sovereignty? What is Sasha's real problem and is it going to cause Charlotte to have to choose between her horsewomen and her new group?


	6. That is not a prediction, it is a spoiler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sovereignty does a radio show with the World's Strongest Man, Marc Henry.

Something that Charlotte always enjoyed about being a champion was the fact that she got to go on various radio shows and help promote the product. She was proud to be working for the WWE, proud to be entertaining fans even when she was the bad guy. Which was why she felt it was essential to bring the two rookies with her to do some more promotional events. She wanted them to be able to sell their storylines in and out of the ring. 

 

“How come Nattie isn’t here?” Toni asked, noting that their foursome was missing somebody. It was rare to be apart during the normal travel days. Charlotte had become notorious for insisting that they all stick together. 

 

Charlotte cracked a smile as she led them into the radio station. “Because Nattie is already super talented with media work, you two are still learning.” 

 

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Rhea pointed out, not really wanting to talk back, but choosing to point out the fact that they all needed to stay sharp. 

 

Charlotte just looked amused by the girl’s comment. “That is correct, that’s why you’re here. I am going to make sure you work as hard as you can, I don’t want anybody to accuse you of not earning your spots.” Charlotte wanted the best for her rookies, even if at least in Toni’s case, the girl had been wrestling a lot longer than Charlotte had. 

 

Surprisingly Toni didn’t argue, she just kept her head down, ready to follow Charlotte’s direction. “Are we going to be promoting our match with the Boss and Hug Connection?” Toni asked, wanting to be prepared for whatever the interviewer would throw at them.

 

Rhea nodded slowly. “I would be surprised if they don’t ask about us, but they’ll care the most about that.” She said, pointing to the Raw Women’s Title, that was slung over Charlotte’s shoulder. They had spent the last three days celebrating, but Charlotte insisted it was time to get to work. The veteran had emphasized that titles would come and go, but work ethic was something that people would remember more than how many titles a person won.

 

“If they aren’t paying much attention to you, then you give them a reason to pay attention. You sell the storyline.” Charlotte had been to interviews with her father, where the radio hosts only wanted to talk about him. She had learned to grit her teeth and wait her turn, and then when it was her time she stole the whole show. 

 

Toni glanced from Rhea to Charlotte and then grinned. “Well let’s do this thing.” 

 

The trio was escorted into the studio where they met the host, they were actually lucky enough that Marc Henry was helping run the podcast. Charlotte felt comfortable with the WWE Hall of Famer, and she knew he’d look out for them. 

 

“Hey Marc, you’ve met Toni and Rhea right?” Charlotte asked, nodding to the younger superstars.

 

“I haven’t had the privilege yet, but I did see the Mae Young Classic, and I was extremely impressed by both of you,” Marc said, politely shaking both of the girls’ hands. 

 

Rhea couldn’t help but have a huge smile on her face, she had always enjoyed Marc’s Hall of Pain and World’s Strongest Man gimmicks. “It’s nice to meet you as well Sir, I’ve been a big fan,” Rhea said, trying to keep her own fangirling under control. She didn’t want to freak him out or create a bad impression. 

 

“Well thank you for that, it’s pleasant to meet a fan. Why don’t you three sit down, and we can get started.” Marc said, nodding at a row of office chairs for them to sit down in. He sat down in his own hair and put his headphones on, waiting until they were back on the air, before introducing Sovereignty. 

 

“Today we have the pleasure of being in the presence of WWE’s hottest new stable, Sovereignty. Please welcome my guests at this time, Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley, and Toni Storm.”

 

“Thank you for having us on the show,” Charlotte said, taking the lead. She wanted to set up the interview so that the rookies would have a clear shot to nail it. “Sovereignty is always willing to meet with the little people.” Charlotte joked, winking at Marc. 

 

Marc laughed and rolled his eyes. “So Charlotte you’ve been on quite the roll lately. You’ve won Queen of the Ring, you’re the new Raw Women’s Champion, and you’re now leading a successful all women’s stable. How did this all happen, what clicked in your mind to shift you into this conquering mentality?” 

 

Charlotte hummed softly for a moment, looking over at her proteges. “I wasn’t doing anything, I am the Queen of the WWE and I wasn’t even on the card. I was tired of people like Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch hogging all the spotlight. I wanted to re-establish myself as one of the most dominant performers of this generation, but not only that…I wanted to leave behind a legacy. My pedigree speaks for itself, and now with my mentoring, I am bringing you the future of wrestling in Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley. You better remember their names, they are the future of Women’s wrestling, future Hall of Famers.” 

 

“That’s quite the bold prediction, considering they just got to the main roster,” Marc said, trying to hide his smile. He always appreciated Charlotte’s swagger and confidence. 

 

“To quote the great Paul Heyman, it’s not a prediction, it’s a spoiler,” Charlotte said, giving a proverbial mic drop. 

 

Marc just shook his head and glanced at the younger two wrestlers. “Do you agree with your mentor, that you’re the future?”

 

“Without a doubt, I’ve been wrestling since I was thirteen. I have more experience than half the barbies on that roster.” Toni said, scoffing at the notion that she wouldn’t someday be a Hall of Famer. “Whatever Charlotte says we can do, you better believe we’ll do it. There isn’t anybody on that roster that can stand up against the force of RipStorm and Sovereignty.” 

 

“Anybody who gets in our way is going to get knocked down. I came to WWE to be dominant and effective, that is exactly what Sovereignty is. We are the most dominant group in sports entertainment.” Rhea boasted, throwing out her input too. 

 

Charlotte looked proudly at her rookies and gave them a thumbs up. She was impressed with the way they were handling themselves, and she knew that Nattie would be just as proud. “You are in the presence of greatness Marc. Come this time next month, Rhea and Toni will be tag-team champions and Sovereignty will be decked out in all the gold.” 

 

Grabbing his cue cards off of the desk, Marc shuffled them. “Alright, well I hope to see that. Before I let you guys go, the fans wrote in some questions. The fans want to know what the best part of being trained by Charlotte is.” Marc asked, directing the question to the two rookies. 

 

Toni only had to think for a split second. “The best part of being trained by Charlotte is being able to pick her brain about different aspects of the business. I’ve been around the world, but being on the main roster is a different animal. Charlotte has taught me that hard work will beat talent if talent doesn’t work hard. She makes me and Rhea better wrestlers by instilling the mindset of being the hardest worker in any room we enter.” Toni recalled Rhea's words from earlier, and she knew that a lot of the attention they were getting was from Charlotte's phenomenal leadership.

 

“I agree a hundred percent with what Toni said. Charlotte is one of the first ones to the arena and one of the last to leave. She is so willing to go the extra mile for us, willing to train or talk anytime we need it. I’d run through fire for her because I know she’d do the same for me. She’s not just our mentor, she’s our family and you can’t break that bond.” Rhea added, smiling back at Charlotte who was looking touched by the words. 

 

“Well, I think that’s all the time we have today. I’ll be looking forward to seeing Charlotte’s title defense and seeing if RipStorm can win the tag titles. Is this the year of Sovereignty? I hope so.” Marc said before the show went off the air. 

 

Charlotte stood up from her chair and gave her rookies both a hug. “That was great, you sold the stable well. Keep up the good work guys.” 

 

“That was impressive, keep working on sharpening those promo skills and nobody will be able to stop you,” Marc said, giving them a nod of approval before walking them to their rental car. He gave Charlotte a hug. “You got a good group on your hands.” 

 

Charlotte beamed, giving her old friend a hug. “Yeah, I know. I picked some good ones. I will see you around Marc, thanks for the interview.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are enjoying my story still. Sorry it's been a hot minute, but I hope the update makes up for it. I am hoping to have RipStorm go for the tag-titles again next chapter.


	7. Long may they reign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RipStorm challenge for the Women's Tag-Team Titles and get some love advice.

Charlotte Flair always liked being one of the first people to the arena before a show. She liked getting to spend quality time in the ring, drinking in the calm before the storm. It was a peaceful time and it allowed her to get her head on straight before every performance. It was her mission to put on the best performance that she possibly could. She didn't want to leave any of the fans disappointed. Now that she was the Raw Women's champion, that meant having to pull double duty, because she was technically still a Smackdown star. 

 

There was always a different kind of feeling, being on Smackdown as opposed to Raw. Raw was the flagship show and constantly being run like a tight ship, while Smackdown was more relaxed. Charlotte definitely had a preference, she was far more comfortable being on the blue brand. She also liked Smackdown because she got to spend time with Andrade. Being a WWE superstar didn't often leave time for a relationship, but she had carved out a nice little spot for her relationship with Andrade. 

 

Andrade was helping her practice some moves that she was working on in the ring. He had taught her how to do a better Spanish-Fly. Now Charlotte had added more of the flashier moves into her arsenal, which she thought made her an exciting champion to see. 

 

"It's not fair that you both look so cute together," Rhea called, making a fake gagging sound. She was only teasing her mentor of course. Rhea knew that Charlotte and Andrade had only become official a few weeks prior, but she liked seeing Charlotte happy.

 

Charlotte and Andrade stopped their sparring match, Charlotte giving Rhea a dirty look. "Don't be jealous Rhea, it's not a good look on you." Charlotte reprimanded, though her words held no real bite. "Where are Toni and Nattie?"

 

"Sorry, we're here," Toni called, pushing some of her luggage down the ramp. Nattie was following behind her but was preoccupied with trying to capture a perfect selfie. Nobody could dispute Natalya's dedication to having a strong social media presence. 

 

Andrade watched the rest of Charlotte's stablemates approaching the ring and gave a polite albeit shy smile. "Ladies," He greeted politely, before pressing a kiss to Charlotte's cheek. "I will see you later beautiful."

 

Charlotte blushed, taking his hand and giving it an affectionate squeeze before she turned her attention to the girls. Her relationship with Andrade was still new, but it gave her butterflies. She also knew she was in for a world of teasing when he left, she could tell by the mischievous look in Rhea's eyes. 

 

"You guys are cute, but it's so sweet I'm going to get a cavity," Rhea said, folding her muscular arms across her chest.

 

"How do you make your relationship work. It seems like you and Nattie, know the secrets to have healthy romantic relationships." Toni added, giving a dreamy sigh. All the guys she had been dating up to this point seemed good at first but then became total jerks later. 

 

Nattie laughed, having finally put down her phone. "TJ almost divorced me for a while, we were separated. We had been together for almost two decades when we realized that things were a lot more complicated than we had envisioned. Being married and on the road is a challenge." 

 

Charlotte nodded in agreement with what her friend had said. "It is so true, we're on the road traveling so much that it is extremely hard to maintain personal relationships. I've gotten lucky that Andrade works on Smackdown with me, but the last two times I was married it ended horribly. I call it the Flair curse, unlucky in love." 

 

Rhea glanced down at the ground. "I can see how being on different brands would be challenging." She said, sounding a bit dejected. 

 

"Wait, who do you like?" Toni asked, realizing they had never really talked about their personal lives before. Rhea was usually pretty tight-lipped about her romantic interests. 

 

Blushing a deep scarlet color, Rhea waved her stablemates off. "Its nobody. I just had a few coffee dates with somebody and they never called me." 

 

Charlotte eyed Rhea for a long moment, studying the rookie before she gave her a sympathetic smile. "You don't have to wait for that person to call you. You can take charge and call them." 

 

"Do you think that would actually work, or would he be put off by it?" Rhea asked softly. 

 

"You're never going to know unless you try, besides the worst thing that can happen is he doesn't respond which is what he's already doing. You're a strong independent woman, you can take charge." Charlotte encouraged, trying to be supportive of her rookies. "That goes for the both of you, you don't need a relationship to be happy, but that doesn't mean you should shut the door on somebody who might add value to your life." 

 

"It is totally Pete Dunne isn't it?" Toni asked, prodding Rhea in the side. "I saw you making eyes at him, during the Blackpool event." 

 

Rhea rolled her eyes, trying to fight a smile. "I am not telling you Storm. Now come on, enough girl talk, we have a match to prep for with Sasha and Bayley. If we want those titles, we're going to have to earn them from them and give them the match of their lives." 

 

Toni let out a sigh of frustration, but she knew Rhea was right. She didn't want to give any of the locker room veterans the chance to say that they weren't hard workers. Sasha Banks, in particular, wanted perfection in matches, the Boss had made it abundantly clear that anything less wouldn't be tolerated. 

 

The four women spent the rest of the afternoon practicing various holds and moves, trying to prep Rhea and Toni for their title match against Bayley and Sasha. Eventually, the Boss and Hug Connection made their way out to the ring to go over the finish with the rookies. 

 

"Creative says tonight that we're supposed to drop the titles to you, it is part of Sovereignty's dominate push to the top. We are willing to do that, on the condition that you treat these titles as if they are the most important ones on the brand. You defend them as fighting champions and you don't allow anybody to make these titles less than." Sasha said, immediately getting in their faces. 

 

A lot could be said about Sasha's attitude backstage, but there was absolutely no denying that the woman was passionate about the business. Sasha cared about the Women's Tag-Team Titles, she had fought long and hard to bring them to fruition. She didn't want to see them lose credibility. 

 

Charlotte was about to step in and force the other two Horsewomen to back off from her rookies, but Toni held up a hand to stop her. Toni and Rhea didn't need Charlotte to fight their battles for them, they had to be able to stand up for themselves. 

 

"You know very well that I've traveled the world fighting and defending the various titles I've won. I started training at thirteen years old for this moment. I defended my NXT and NXT UK titles as often as I was allowed. We're going to keep these titles relevant and should we fail too, you can take issue with us then." Toni said, meeting Sasha right in the middle of the ring. She wasn't going to back down from the veteran. 

 

Bayley cracked a hint of a smile and extended a hand to Rhea. "It seems we are on the same page then. Let's tear down the house and make this crowd eat from the palms of our hands." 

 

The Boss and Hug Connection shook hands with RipStorm before getting out the ring to finish getting ready for the show. The four members of Sovereignty turned to face each other. 

 

"You need to hurry and go get changed before the show, but I want to offer you one last piece of advice," Charlotte said, trying to do her best not get emotional. She knew the two had won championships before, but this was different because it was the main roster. "I want you to soak up every single cheer, every single boo and remember how it feels to reach the top of the mountain." Charlotte gave them a hug before dismissing them. 

 

Nattie waited until the ring was empty save for her and Charlotte. "Are we going to come with them to the ring tonight?" 

 

Charlotte shook her head. "No, we can celebrate with them, but they need to win this one on their own. They need to have that moment, where they realize that they are strongest together, where they are forged together in the heat of battle." 

 

Nattie snorted softly and pulled out her phone. "I wish I could record all of the profound things you say." 

 

"In your own words Nat, settle your tea kettle," Charlotte mumbled, shying away from Nattie's obsessive social media addiction. She rolled out of the ring. "Come on, we need to get ready ourselves." 

 

The rest of the day rolled by slowly until it was time for the tag match. Charlotte and Nattie were both dressed in their own ring gear but were watching back on the monitors. They watched as Rhea and Toni made their way to the ring, going out to Sovereignty's theme music. 

 

"They look nervous," Nattie commented, wishing she could send them some calming energy or something. 

 

"They will be fine, I have faith. They're going to be nervous right now, but they are going to be fine as soon as the match starts. It really is time for them to sink or swim." Charlotte knew first hand what it was like to be thrown unprepared into the deep end. The main roster was a hard place, but she was fully confident in the Australians. There was a reason she had hand-picked them in particular, she felt they had the most potential. 

 

Sasha and Bayley took it to the younger superstars early forcing them to fight hard and fast. Sasha and Bayley were using rapid fire tag and team maneuvers to keep Rhea and Toni off their game. The match was going well because Rhea and Toni had agreed to let Sasha call out the spots. They were trying to be respectful and to stay on her good side since she had a tendency to shoot on other superstars she had issues with. 

 

"That's pretty impressive, did you teach her that?" Nattie asked Charlotte, gesturing to the screen where Rhea had Sasha in a sort of torture rack submission hold. 

 

"No, I didn't teach her that one, but I like that she's utilizing new moves," Charlotte said, a proud tint to her voice.

 

Toni knocked Bayley off the apron, before helping Rhea hit the RipStorm. Rhea quickly picked up the victory, before dropping to her knees in the middle of the ring. Toni rushed to her side, sliding into her and giving her a massive hug. 

 

Truth be told, even though they had known they were going to win the belts, it felt almost surreal. Being champions together on the main roster, was something that had seemed so improbable prior to Charlotte choosing them to be part of Sovereignty. 

 

"The winners of this match and your new Women's Tag Team Champions, Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm of Sovereignty!" 

 

Toni grabbed the titles and handed one of them to Rhea, before hugging her. "We did it!"

 

Rhea wasn't usually one to get emotional, but she couldn't fight the tears. "Yes, we did." 

 

Slowly the duo rolled out of the ring, walking back up the ramp while Bayley and Sasha sulked in the ring. Charlotte's music hit as both her and Natalya walked out onto the top of the ramp. Charlotte was wearing her Raw Women's Championship belt and slowly clamped for her stablemates. Charlotte and Nattie both felt like proud moms at that moment. 

 

Charlotte and Nattie both grabbed Rhea and Toni's hands and raised them in victory before Charlotte was handed a microphone. "Woooo." She said, smiling as boos and cheers rained down on the stable. 

 

"A few months ago, I came out here and told you that Sovereignty was the future, and now I stand before you with Sovereignty holding the gold. All we need is the Smackdown title and we run this place." Charlotte said, before holding up her title. "Bow down to the Queen, and prepare yourselves for the everlasting reign of Sovereignty." 

 

Rhea and Toni held up their titles as well, mimicking Charlotte's stance with Nattie looking on proudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are enjoying this story as much as I am. I thank you for every view, hit, kudo and comment. Please, by all means, leave me all the comments and love. Who is your favorite character in the story, tell me because I really wanna know.


	8. A crisis at home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sovereignty is having a family dinner when Charlotte gets some bad news.

“So what’s your next plan of attack?” 

 

Charlotte looked up from her phone and into Nattie’s husband TJ’s eyes. TJ was holding one of his and Nattie many cats, looking a lot like evil mastermind by the way he was holding and petting the cat. 

 

Sovereignty had ended up at Nattie’s house for their weekly family dinner. Nattie had insisted on pulling out all the stops to celebrate Rhea and Toni winning the Women’s Tag-Titles. She had also persuaded Charlotte to bring Andrade and have him be part of the family dinners. 

 

“My next plan of attack?” Charlotte asked, tilting her head. “I am not sure I know what you mean.” 

 

TJ chuckled and set the cat down. “You have the Raw Women’s title, your stable has claims on the Women’s Tag-Titles, you even landed a hot boyfriend, what’s next for the great Charlotte Flair and Sovereignty? What do you ladies have your eyes set on now?” 

 

The question seemed to give Charlotte pause, she wasn't sure she really wanted anything else. She felt like she had everything she could want, she had a loving boyfriend and a close group of friends. Charlotte looked over to where Andrade was talking with Nattie and laughing. Her boyfriend seemed to fit right in with her friend and it made her happy, that he had been willing to come and get to know them. 

 

“I don’t know, I think I am just enjoying being on top of the mountain. I'm a champion and I'm leading a successful stable, what more could a superstar ask for?” Charlotte was fairly ambitious, but she actually felt content where she was. 

 

“You think you’d face Becky in a match for the Smackdown Title, become a double champion?” TJ asked, wondering what Charlotte would do. 

 

Charlotte considered it and then shrugged her shoulders. “I wouldn’t mind being a double champion, I just don’t know if that’s what creative has for us.” 

 

“Hey babe, you really need to try Nattie’s bean dip,” Andrade said, walking over and offering Charlotte a bite. 

 

“It’s store bought, don’t be fooled, Andrade.” TJ teased, totally ratting out his wife. 

 

Nattie scowled at him. “Don’t be a jerk TJ.” She muttered. 

 

Charlotte laughed and took the chip. “It’s good either way Nattie.” 

 

Rhea and Toni wandered over and flopped down on the couch, next to Charlotte. Neither of them had really wanted to let go of their titles, they insisted on carrying them everywhere. They had been like kids in a candy store when they had finally received their custom side plates. 

 

“Your belts are looking pretty cool.” TJ offered, knowing the rookies were subtly fishing for compliments. 

 

“Thanks, Mate, we worked hard on them,” Rhea said, grinning down at the belt. 

 

“I am glad we got the opportunity to fight for them,” Toni admitted, smiling at Nattie who was staring at the rookies with a look of pride in her eyes. 

 

“Well I think next on our mission should be the Smackdown Title, TJ has the right idea,” Nattie said, knowing full well that she could win it or help Charlotte win it. It didn’t matter to Nattie who had the title, so long as it was with the stable. 

 

“We can talk to Vince about it. We may not get a good reaction if the fans feel like we’re holding the titles hostage. We don’t want a Brock Lesnar sort of response.” Charlotte pointed out, they were already getting booed since they were the bad guys. 

 

Andrade grinned warmly and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “You overthink babe. Relax, it’ll all work out.” He promised her, taking her hand. 

 

Rhea’s stomach rumbled and she blushed. “I think I am ready to eat.” 

 

“The food is ready, so let’s go ahead and eat.” Nattie leads the way to the table, but Charlotte held back when her phone buzzed. 

 

Charlotte picked up the call, seeing it was from her sister. “Hey, Meghan... Slow down, slow down… what happened? Is dad okay?...No, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She hung up the phone, feeling hollow and a bit shell shocked. 

 

“What’s wrong love?” Andrade asked as everybody at the table seemed to have their eyes glued to Charlotte. 

 

“My dad is at the hospital, he’s having chest pains.” Charlotte had almost lost her dad at the end of 2017. She was terrified that she might lose him again, she was definitely a daddy’s girl. 

 

Nattie immediately got to her feet. “What hospital, do you want us to drive you?”

 

“I’ll drive her, can you guys maybe just get her gear bag together,” Andrade suggested, looking to the rookies. 

 

“Sure thing,” Rhea said, already getting up. “Come on Toni, let’s go grab Charlotte a change of clothes.” 

 

Charlotte felt numb inside, terror gripping her. All she could think about was getting to the hospital and checking on her dad. She could feel Andrade guiding her to the car, but her mind was a million miles away. 

 

“It’s going to be okay love,” Andrade promised, squeezing her hand. He grabbed her phone to text her sister for the address to the hospital. 

 

“What if he isn’t okay?” Charlotte asked, her voice cracking a little bit. She had already lost her younger brother Reid, she wasn’t sure how to live without her dad. 

 

Andrade sighed softly and shook his head. “You can’t think like that. If God forbid something does happen to your dad then we’ll get through it together. I won’t let you go through it by yourself. You have Nattie, TJ, your rookies, heck even Becky would come to your side.” 

 

That brought a tiny smile to Charlotte's lips. "I should actually message Becky, I know my dad would want to hear from her. She always manages to make him laugh." Charlotte took her phone back from Andrade and texted her best friend. Becky almost immediately texted her back saying that she'd be there as soon as she could. 

 

"Everybody loves you and your dad. It's going to work out, he's a tough man." Andrade wasn't sure how to comfort his girlfriend but he was trying his best. He hated to see her so sad. 

 

Charlotte appreciated Andrade trying to help, but she knew she wouldn't be able to calm down until she saw her dad with her own eyes. Her dad had been the one to always comfort her and make her feel like she wasn't so lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware this isn't as long as the other chapters, I am sorry. I've been struggling with writer's block for this story and for my RipStorm road trip story as well. I think sometimes other stories you just have more creative ideas for. Don't worry, I won't be giving up on Sovereignty or The Great Road Trip. I just might focus more on my other stories, until I get through the writer's block. 
> 
> Speaking of which if you haven't checked out the Pokemon AU or the Percy Jackson AU, you should do that. I appreciate every view, kudo, comment, and subscription. My readers are the best and I love you.


	9. Long may the sovereign reign.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte deals with a family emergency and also finds out about a potential match.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Whoosh. Beep. Beep. Beep. Whoosh.

 

The sound of Ric’s monitor had become Charlotte’s background music. Her father was pale and looked hollow, nothing like the flamboyant personality he was. Charlotte had never witnessed him looking this defeated. The only time she had seen him this small and broken was when Reid had died. 

 

The leader of Sovereignty had spent the last three days at Ric’s bedside, scared to leave him for fear that something would happen. All she could do was watch the machines, that were basically living for her father. 

 

Andrade had tried to stay by her side, but she had told him to go ahead and go to work. She had also sent her stablemates to work as well, wanting their brand to be represented. She found herself alone which was something Charlotte was used too. 

 

She was surprised when the door opened. She expected it to be a nurse but a flash of red hair surprised her. Becky Lynch, armed with her smackdown title and clearly having just gotten off a plane, stood in the hospital doorway. 

 

“What are you doing here Bex?” Charlotte asked, struggling to find her voice. 

 

Becky Lynch gave a tiny but tired smiled. “I heard my best friend was alone and I came to keep her company.” Becky’s eyes shifted to Ric. “How is he?”

 

Charlotte followed her gaze and sighed. “It’s not good Bex.” 

 

Becky seemed to accept that and took the seat next to Charlotte. “Well, I’m here for you Charlie. Your lover boy was concerned, so I took it upon myself to be here.” Becky didn’t want Charlotte to have to be alone. 

 

Charlotte drew her knees up to her chest and sighed. She hadn’t felt this broken in a long time. “He’s a good one, I haven’t had a lot of good guys in my life. I used to be so angry at my dad for not being home. I know he tried his best.” 

 

“Ric has always been flawed, but there is no doubt he loves you and he always will,” Becky said, trying to just be there for emotional support. 

 

“I love him so much, I’m scared to lose him.” Charlotte kept her voice low, scared that her dad even in his medically induced coma would hear her. “I don’t want to be alone. He’s always picked up my broken pieces.” 

 

Becky reached for her friend’s hand and held it. “You won’t be alone Charlie. You got me, Andrade, your rookies, Nattie, and WWE. You know Bayley and Sasha would drop everything to be here for you.” 

 

“I can’t lose him,” Charlotte said, her voice cracking. She seemed more tortured than Becky had ever seen her before.   
Becky wanted to promise Charlotte that it would all work out, but she knew that wasn’t a promise she could make. “Charlie, I’m here for you. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’ve got you.” Becky promised her best friend. She didn’t let go of Charlotte’s hand, instead, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

\---

Natalya was doing her best to take care of the rookies, ushering them from the arena to the hotel. She wasn't under any illusions that their heads were in the game, Toni and Rhea seemed out of it. Nattie knew that they were worried about Charlotte and Ric, Nattie was worried about her friend as well. 

 

Having lost her own dad, Nattie knew that it wasn't easy to see a larger than life figure like Ric in the hospital. She had texted Charlotte who had mentioned that Ric's vitals had improved a little, but that he wasn't out of the woods yet. Ushering the rookies into the room, Nattie sat down on the bed. 

 

Rhea and Toni settled on the other bed, both looking like somebody had kicked their puppy. Nattie had always been a bit of a mother hen and seeing Toni and Rhea looking so dad, she sighed. 

 

"Come here," Nattie said, opening her arms for her friends. "If you tell anybody I cuddled you two, I'll deny it." She warned, before holding Toni and Rhea close. 

 

Toni was all for the cuddling, Rhea tried to act more disinterested but the taller Aussie needed the hug too. Rhea eventually settled into Nattie's embrace, laying her head on her mentor's shoulder.

 

"Are they going to split us up if Ric dies? Make Charlotte the face?" Toni questioned, not sure how everything was going to play out. 

 

"I think they would probably do a face turn for all of us." Nattie mused, not wanting to even think about Ric dying. "Charlotte said his vitals were improving, so there could be a chance that he recovers. His health has been frail for a while." 

 

"He was always so nice to me," Rhea mumbled, thinking back to watching Ric wrestling as a child. He had always been one of her favorites. It was one of the reasons she was so excited to work with Charlotte and form Sovereignty. 

 

Nattie hugged them tighter, before sighing softly. "When my dad died, Charlotte was there for me. She kept calling and telling me I'd be okay. She's been through a lot." 

 

Rhea nodded in agreement. "Charlotte is one of the toughest people I know." She had no doubts that Charlotte would find a way to persevere. The blonde amazon was like the terminator, nothing seemed to keep their fearless leader down.

 

"Do you remember that live event match where she thought she broke her ankle but still insisted on strutting across the ring?" Toni asked, laughing at the memory. 

 

Nattie couldn't help but chuckle. "That is Charlotte, she's always willing to put on a show. I am choosing to believe that Ric will pull through and not let death pin him. He's one of those immortal types." 

 

"Death would be put in the figure four leg lock," Rhea said chuckling under her breath. "It stands no chance against the great Ric Flair."

 

"We should rest, Charlotte will expect us to be representing Soveriengty the best. Once we're doing with our event loop, we'll go see her." Nattie promised, giving them both a soft smile. 

 

"Can we order room service?" Toni asked, giving Nattie a pleading look. 

 

Rhea added her own pleading look. "I would kill for a pack of skittles." 

 

Nattie groaned, feeling like she was having to help raise a bunch of children. "Fine you guys can order a snack, but please don't stay up all night." 

 

"No promises," Rhea said with a wink and she and Toni scrambled for the phone to call for room service. 

\----

Charlotte was exhausted, but she had somehow allowed Becky to send back home to shower and get a few hours of sleep. Charlotte had honestly showered and then slept for a solid six hours. It was only when she woke up that she realized she had a missed call from Becky telling her to come to the hospital. 

 

Terror and panic seized Charlotte and she had raced to the hospital. She was mentally berating herself for allowing Becky to send her away. Becky had made some comment about Charlotte needing sleep, and that she wouldn't leave Ric's side while Charlotte was gone. 

 

Charlotte burst into the hospital room, her eyes narrowing in on the empty bed. It took her a second to process that Ric wasn't in his hospital bed, but rather he was sitting up in the corner talking to Becky. Tears of relief began to well in Charlotte's eyes. She had assumed the worst when she had gotten the text from Becky, but seeing Ric awake and sitting up was a huge weight off her shoulders. 

 

"Hey Winky," Ric said, greeting his daughter. 

 

Charlotte crossed the distance between them and hugged her father tightly. "I thought something horrible had happened." 

 

Ric held her close, rubbing her back. "I'm okay baby, it takes a lot to take me out." He whispered, his voice still weak. 

 

"I was telling him about how you and I should have a match for our titles. We could main event Wrestlemania in a match to unify them." Becky said, thinking about how that statement had caused Ric's eyes to flutter. 

 

"I realized I couldn't die without seeing my daughter in that main event. I was telling Becky it'd be better with a fatal four-way between the horsewomen." Ric said, before coughing. 

 

Charlotte gave him a concerned look and rubbed his back. "Don't push yourself too hard pops." 

 

Ric merely smiled and patted her back. "I'll be fine, Becky said if I passed out she'd give me the kiss of life." 

 

Charlotte looked grossed out. "Eww Bex. I don't think Seth would like that." 

 

Becky smirked and shrugged. "Everybody wants some when the man comes around." 

 

"Eww, don't ever talk like that again," Charlotte grumbled shuddering at the thought, while her dad and best friend dissolved into laughter. 

 

Becky reached for her best friend's hand again. "We can put on a match and steal the show. You and me." Becky promised, before standing up. "I have to get back on the road, I have a smackdown women's title to defend. Watch out for your dad." Becky said, wanting Charlotte to know she'd always be there for her no matter what. 

 

Ric quickly hugged Becky before letting go. "Defend that title well, and I was serious. You all should have a fatal four-way match." 

 

Becky smiled. "I'll be sure to pitch the idea, old man." 

 

Charlotte watched her friend go, before snuggling into her dad's chest. "Don't ever scare me like that again daddy." 

 

Ric ran his fingers through his daughter's hair. "While I was in the coma, I saw Reid. He wanted me to tell you he was proud of you." 

 

Charlotte sniffled, her heart aching painfully for her baby brother. "I miss Reider like crazy." 

 

"He misses you too, he told me it wasn't my time yet and to come back. He said you still needed me." Ric knew that he wanted to be around to see any of Charlotte's future kids and to see her marry Andrade. He felt like he had been absent for so long that now he wanted to make up for it and be there for Charlotte through all of her wins. 

 

"I'm always going to need you, daddy. Maybe you could walk me and Sovereignty out for our next pay-per-view. I mean if you're feeling up for it." Charlotte suggested, wanting to spend more time with her dad. 

 

"I think I'd like that," Ric replied with a tired smile. 

 

"Get some rest daddy, I'll hold down the fort here," Charlotte said, still not ready to leave his side until she felt like he was healthy enough. Her career and sovereignty could wait until he was better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know it's been a while but here is an update. I got focused on my other stories, and had writer's block but believe when I say I haven't forgotten about Sovereignty. I appreciate all of my readers who have stuck with me so far. Be sure to check out my other stories.


End file.
